Flowering large shrubs/small trees-deciduous
Lilacs
crepe myrtle
buddleja (butterfly bush)
chinese snowball tree

Non-deciduous trees
Acacias
Bottlebrush

shrubs
grevillea
viburnum
abelias
rock rose (cistus)
Hebes

There are a heap more in the shrub department.

1. Position is everything. Each plant needs a certain amount of sunlight + moisture + soil nutrients - the right plant in the wrong spot is useless.

2. There is no substitute for good soil. If you dont have it, invest the time in building up what you do have. Yes, some natives do thrive in poor soil, but Acacias, Grevilleas and Banksias all present their own set of challenges - do your homework.

3. Some plants thrive on neglect (once established). The canoncial example is the Bougainvillea - I hacked mine back to a stump, had the tree loppers cover it in two feet of woodchip and it burst forth at the first hint of Spring looking more vibrant than anything in the garden. Realy hate that plant ...

OK, specifics. In my last garden, I planted lillypillies *everywhere*, just about every commercially-available cultivar you can name (including exotic varieties such as Syz Jambolana) - about 65 all up. They ranged in size from tubestock to 10" pots, and the majority were planted over a 6 month period from the day I moved in. I left after 18 months, and regularly stick my head over the fence to see how they are getting on with the new house as a 'rental'. To date, I havent seen a single dead plant, but that could change if we dont get some rain soon.

- attrition : the Rocky sun tore into the majority of the smaller-leaved varieties, particularly the small ones. Very few of the tubestock survived, as they didnt have enough foliage to protect the plant.
- relocation : I was able to relocate several of the smaller plants without issue, but I did lose one of the larger Acmenas ($30 = ouch !) after an abortive attempt to relocate it
- growth rate : whilst they all put on wonderful new growth after rain, the most spectacular growers were the Aussie Southerns. When an advanced (10") plant exceeds a 100% increase in size in the first 12 months, I'm very happy indeed. They are easily the bushiest and glossiest of the lillipillies I planted, and their light green new growth contrasts nicely with the claret shades of other varieties.

The lillipillies werent the fastest growing in the garden, but they gave me the best frame of reference as a single genus. I'm not proud of the fact that I perserved with a pepper tree (Schinus isnt seen as a weed in Rocky, to my knowledge), but it blew everything else away - 6" pot to 3 metres (x 4 metres wide) in under 18 months. Among the plants that I treasured, the standout was my Golden Penda - 6" pot to over 2 metres in 14 months, and bushy to boot.

What made these plants (the Aussie Southerns, Penda and Pepper Tree) outgrow everything around them ?

- they liked the position they were in : all had the full afternoon sun, and thrived on it. Grouping plants together also has a noticeable effect on their combined health and growth rates.
- water and mulch : the Penda really only took off when I dug a metre-deep 'trench' around it and filled it with sugarcane mulch. The Aussie Southerns and the Pepper tree just grabbed every trace of moisture they could, given once-per-week hand-watering and the driest year in CQ for a long time ...
- soil : bedding each of these up in soil with plenty of compost and some blood-and-bone did wonders.

None of the above is rocket science, and I would be one of the laziest gardeners ever to stumble onto the forum, but if I can do it, anyone can. Talk to locals who have the kind of garden that you want, ask them how long it took for their 'canopy' to establish itself, then set about making it happen at your place :)

Good luck,

Artie

Many plants that are supposed to be frost sensitive will actually handle the cold quite well. I found the heat in summer knocks the plants more than the cold.

My garden is a rainforest style (sort of). The majority of plants in my garden are less than 5 yrs old and were tubestock size when planted but are now big enough to provide shade for underplanting with shadelovers. The plants survive mainly on rain and mulch though our soil is fairly good.

Let us know what sort of plants you're after.