Our Top 10 Australian Natives

Most of the Australian Native cut flowers and foliage that we use at Manic Botanic Flowers are sourced directly from our growers in the South-West of Western Australia. Many are seasonal, with the best time to buy in spring and autumn.

Here are our Top 10 beautiful Australian native flowers and foliage that we use in our Australian Natives arrangements.

1. Kangaroo Paw

Named for its distinctive look of a kangaroo paw, Anigozanthus flavidus comes in many different colours and forms, including red, orange, pink, green and yellow.

2. Protea

Proteas are actually from South Africa, but share many of the growing requirements of our Australian natives, so they thrive really well here and are very popular. Their flowers are well sought after and come in a range of colours from deep pinks, pinky orange, lime and whites, which are long lasting when cut.

 – King Protea

The King Protea is the most popular variety of protea, having one of the largest flower heads in the protea family. The King Pink Protea produces stunning large pink flowers which can reach up to 30cm in diameter once the plant is established. They make a stunning focal flower in our Manic Botanic flower arrangements.

3. Pincushion Protea

Pincushion Proteas have long-lasting flower heads in yellows, oranges and reds consist of a large number of small flowers with stiff protrusions.

4 .Billy Buttons

These delightful flowers are a mainstay in many dried flower arrangements for their ability to hold their structure and colour. The lovely golden globe shaped flowers on tall stems that make it an ideal cut flower.

5. Everlastings (Strawflower)

Everlasting strawflower (Xerochrysum bracteatum) is a favourite for its paper-like blooms that come in many appealing shades of pink, purple, red, orange, yellow and white. A heat-loving, drought-tolerant plant, this daisy-like flower produces non-stop blooms during spring and summer.

6.Banksia

A highly popular Australian plant due to its characteristic cylindrical flower heads, banksias also make excellent cut flowers as they have a very long vase life, make an excellent dried flower and come in a broad range of colours and sizes.

7. Waratah

Oh how we love waratahs! Native to south-eastern Australia, the waratah is a well-known species of Telopea speciosissima and is one of the country’s iconic flowers. Its bright red flowers are mainly available late spring.

8. Blushing Bride

A relative of the protea, Blushing Bride is one of our favourites!  Its lovely dainty, ivory-white to pale pink long-lasting winter flowers are stunning in arrangements and are popularly used in bridal bouquets (hence the name!).

9. Eucalyptus Foliage

We love the distinctive blue-grey and the stunning shapes of our native eucalyptus (gum) leaves. The tall, round leaf variety works well to add height and shape in larger bouquets and vase arrangements, while the flat, silver dollar eucalyptus adds texture and variety to smaller bunches.

10. Leucadendron

Like Protea, Leucadendrons are actually native to South Africa but are grown extensively in Australia. Their stems are in demand around the world for their attractive cone-like flower head enclosed by coloured leaf-like bracts (not petals) at the top of the stems. As the flower head matures late in the season, the central large woody cone may become more prominent. Leucadendron stems have quite a long vase life, up to 20 days.