What to Plant on a Slope: The Best Plants for Hot, Dry Banks in Australia

There comes a point in every sloping garden when you have to admit something.

Perhaps the answer isn't getting better at mowing sideways.

If you've got a hot bank, awkward slope or enormous patch of ground that dries out faster than the rest of the garden, you'll know exactly what we're talking about.

Grass struggles.

Mulch moves.

Weeds somehow remain delighted with the arrangement.

And mowing it can feel less like gardening and more like an activity that should require a helmet and a waiver.

The good news?

A difficult slope can become one of the best-looking parts of your garden.

But don't start by asking:

“What's a good plant for a slope?”

Start with:

“What is making this slope difficult?”

Because a sunny coastal bank, a dry inland slope and a damp clay embankment may all look similar from the house...

But they're very different places to be a plant.

Why Are Slopes So Difficult to Plant?

Slopes have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Water can run across the surface rather than soaking evenly into the soil.

Higher areas may dry faster.

Lower areas may collect moisture.

Soil can be shallow or compacted.

Full-sun banks can become incredibly hot.

And establishing young plants can be harder because they're competing with all of this from day one.

That's why the prettiest plant in the nursery isn't necessarily the best plant for your bank.

You need plants that understand the assignment.

Before You Choose Anything, Look at the Slope

This takes five minutes and can save you hundreds of dollars.

Look at it after rain.

Where does the water go?

Look at it at 9am.

Then midday.

Then late afternoon.

Where is the sun?

Dig a small hole.

Is the soil sandy?

Clay?

Rocky?

Does water disappear instantly or sit there?

Then ask how you want the finished area to look.

Do you want a low carpet?

Soft grasses moving in the wind?

Native flowers?

Silver foliage?

A layered landscape?

Or do you simply want something that means you never have to push a mower up there again?

Now we're ready to choose plants.

1. Hardenbergia Meema™ — The Bank That Turns Purple

Let's start with one of our favourites.

Because Hardenbergia Meema™ is not the Hardenbergia many gardeners are picturing.

You may know Hardenbergia as the native climber scrambling over fences and trellises.

Meema™ is different.

It's been selected for a tidier, shrubby groundcover habit, growing around 50cm high and spreading to approximately 2 metres. It can still creep upwards if it finds something to climb, but left to do its thing across the ground, it makes a seriously useful landscape plant.

And then winter happens.

From around July into September, masses of those unmistakable purple pea-like flowers arrive.

So instead of looking at a bare bank all winter...

you can be looking at a purple one.

That's a fairly decent upgrade.

Meema™ suits full sun through to semi-shade and can handle soil ranging from sandy through to heavy clay once properly established. Ozbreed also lists it as tolerant of cold and drought.

It's particularly useful for larger beds and slopes where you want broad coverage without planting hundreds of tiny individual groundcovers.

Best for: slopes, banks, mass planting, broad ground coverage and winter colour.

Approximate size: 50cm high × 2m wide.

Planting rate: approximately 1–3 plants per square metre depending on the effect you're trying to achieve.

And yes...

we currently have Meema™ available at The Plant Hub.

2. Low Horizon™ Westringia — When You Want Low Without Boring

Westringia is one of those plants Australians have seen approximately seventeen billion times.

Which is precisely why people underestimate it.

The interesting part isn't whether Westringia is useful.

It's choosing the right Westringia.

Low Horizon™ Westringia has been selected for a particularly low, flatter growth habit. Ozbreed lists it at approximately 30cm high × 70cm wide and describes it as its lowest-maintenance groundcover Westringia.

That's a very different job from a large hedge.

On a bank, low-growing plants help create a planted surface without adding unnecessary height.

And the grey-green foliage works beautifully against darker greens, stone, gravel and timber.

Best for: low mass planting, sunny banks, borders and areas where you want a flatter Westringia.

3. Mundi™ Westringia — When You Have Ground to Cover

If Low Horizon is the little one...

Mundi™ brings the spread.

Ozbreed lists Mundi at around 50cm high × 1.5m wide and specifically describes it as an expansive dwarf groundcover suited to low-care landscape situations.

This is exactly why botanical names alone don't tell you enough.

Two plants can both say Westringia fruticosa on the label and perform completely different jobs in a landscape.

For a larger slope, that spreading habit becomes incredibly useful.

Rather than thinking:

“Which Westringia do I like?”

Think:

“Which Westringia shape does this job need?”

That's how landscapers choose plants.

4. Grey Box™ Westringia — Bring Some Structure

Not every plant on a bank should lie flat.

Otherwise you can end up with one enormous green pancake.

Grey Box™ Westringia gives us another layer.

It forms a compact, naturally rounded plant with grey foliage and white flowers, reaching around 45cm × 45cm according to Ozbreed.

Used in repeated groups, those little rounded forms can provide structure amongst looser groundcovers.

And because the foliage is grey rather than bright green, you're adding contrast without having to rely entirely on flowers.

That's something worth remembering:

Foliage lasts much longer than a flowering season.

5. Goldie Box™ Westringia — Same Job, Different Colour

This is where we can have some fun.

If you've already got a slope containing forty-seven shades of green, Goldie Box™ gives you another option.

It has a compact form in the same general size class as Grey Box, but the foliage gives you a completely different design opportunity. Ozbreed lists Goldie Box at approximately 45cm × 45cm.

Use foliage colour deliberately.

Don't scatter one Goldie Box here and another twelve metres away.

Plant in groups.

Repeat those groups.

Let the colour become part of the design.

One lonely yellow-green shrub looks accidental.

Seven repeated through a landscape?

Now you meant it.

6. Aussie Rambler™ — When You Want the Ground Covered

Some banks don't need another shrub.

They need something down low.

A spreading groundcover can help soften the surface, cover open areas and create a lower layer beneath larger plants.

That's where plants such as Aussie Rambler™ Carpobrotus can come into the conversation for suitable sunny sites.

Its fleshy foliage also contrasts beautifully with the finer leaves of Westringia and the larger foliage of Meema.

And that's an important part of designing a bank.

Don't only think about colour.

Think about texture.

Fine.

Broad.

Soft.

Architectural.

Spreading.

Upright.

Those contrasts are what make a relatively simple planting palette look interesting.

7. Yareena™ Myoporum — Another Ground-Hugging Option

Yareena™ Myoporum gives us another low layer.

Ozbreed specifically includes Yareena in its slope-planting recommendations, including cascading over retaining walls.

This is the sort of plant we'd consider when the job isn't to create height.

It's to visually connect the planting.

That's a very different role.

And one of the reasons new gardens often look unfinished is that they contain lots of individual shrubs...

With nothing joining them together.

Groundcovers do that job.

8. Tanika® Lomandra — Because Every Slope Needs Movement

Now we need to change shape completely.

We've got spreading plants.

We've got little rounded shrubs.

We've got groundcovers.

Now add something that moves.

Tanika® Lomandra gives a landscape fine, arching foliage that catches the wind and breaks up all those low horizontal forms.

This is why mass-planted Lomandra appears in so many professional Australian landscapes.

It's not necessarily there to scream:

LOOK AT ME.

It's there to make everything around it look better.

On a slope, repeated groups of strappy foliage can help carry your eye across the landscape.

And repetition is what stops a large planting from looking like a nursery catalogue exploded on it.

Should You Plant One Variety Across the Whole Slope?

You can.

And sometimes it looks spectacular.

A huge sweep of one groundcover can be incredibly strong.

But if you want something with more depth, we'd generally think in layers and groups rather than planting:

Meema.

Westringia.

Lomandra.

Myoporum.

Meema.

Westringia.

Lomandra.

Myoporum.

All the way across.

That's not a planting plan.

That's a barcode.

Instead, think:

Ground layer

Meema™, Yareena™ or Aussie Rambler™.

Low structure

Low Horizon™, Mundi™, Grey Box™ or Goldie Box™ Westringia.

Movement

Lomandra, Dianella or an ornamental/native grass suited to the site.

Then repeat those groups.

You may only need three or four varieties to make an enormous area look considered.

What Should I Plant on a Very Hot, Sunny Bank?

This is where site selection matters enormously.

A north- or west-facing bank can experience serious heat.

Add reflected heat from a road, retaining wall, gravel or concrete and you've created a very different environment from a gently sloping backyard receiving morning sun.

For those areas, look for plants specifically suited to:

full sun
heat
periods of dry weather once established
your local climate
your soil type

Your plant palette may include hardy Westringias, Lomandras, Rhagodias, Myoporums and other tough Australian landscape plants depending on the site.

Don't simply buy something because the label says drought tolerant.

Drought tolerance doesn't automatically mean:

“Will enjoy being planted into compacted concrete masquerading as soil on a 42-degree January afternoon.”

Give the plant a fighting chance.

Can Native Plants Grow in Clay on a Slope?

Some absolutely can.

But native does not mean clay tolerant.

This is a mistake we see constantly.

Australia has everything from sand dunes to rainforests to heavy inland soils.

Plants evolved accordingly.

Meema™ is particularly interesting because Ozbreed lists it as suitable across sandy through heavy clay soils.

Other plants have very different requirements.

So if you've got clay, choose for clay.

If you've got sand, choose for sand.

Choose for your garden, not for the word “native”.

Can Plants Stop a Slope From Eroding?

Plants can play an important role in vegetating and stabilising suitable slopes, but this is one area where we need to be sensible.

If you've got significant erosion, soil movement, drainage problems or a structurally unstable bank, plants are not a substitute for proper drainage or engineering advice.

For ordinary garden slopes, vegetation can help protect exposed soil and roots can contribute to holding surface soil together.

But if the hill is actually moving...

Please don't throw six Lomandras at it and hope for the best.

Get the structural problem assessed first.

Then plant it beautifully.

How Far Apart Should I Plant on a Slope?

This depends on the plant.

And this is exactly why generic advice like:

“Plant everything 50cm apart”

drives us slightly mad.

Meema™ can spread around two metres.

Grey Box™ is around 45cm wide.

Mundi™ can spread around 1.5 metres.

They're doing completely different jobs.

Always calculate spacing using the specific variety, its mature size and the effect you're trying to create.

Closer planting generally gives you coverage sooner but costs more and can create unnecessary competition if you go too close.

Wider spacing costs less initially but leaves more open ground while the plants establish.

There's a sweet spot.

That's also exactly why we're building our Plant Spacing Calculator.

Because nobody should need Year 10 maths and three pieces of scrap paper just to order a groundcover.

Is Tubestock Good for Planting Slopes?

This is actually one of the situations where tubestock can make enormous sense.

Large landscape areas may require dozens — sometimes hundreds — of plants.

Buying every plant advanced can make the project extremely expensive.

Healthy tubestock allows you to plant the required numbers at a much lower initial plant cost.

The smaller root ball can also make planting amongst difficult ground or existing roots easier.

But here's the important part:

small plants still need establishment care.

They aren't magic.

Water them properly.

Mulch appropriately.

Keep weeds from competing with them while they're young.

Give them time to establish.

You're buying the plant they're going to become.

Not the plant you're looking at on planting day.

When Is the Best Time to Plant a Dry Bank?

If you have the choice, planting when conditions are milder can make establishment easier than putting young plants into extreme heat.

But Australia is enormous.

There is no single planting month that's perfect from Hobart to Cairns.

Your local climate, rainfall pattern, frost risk and ability to irrigate all matter.

The important thing is this:

The first weeks matter.

Even plants renowned for drought tolerance generally need appropriate watering while establishing their root systems.

“Drought tolerant once established” and “doesn't need water after planting” are two completely different statements.

A Simple Planting Plan for a Large Australian Bank

If you want something uncomplicated, here's how we'd approach it.

Don't begin with plant names.

Begin with jobs.

Job 1: Cover the ground

Choose a spreading plant suited to your conditions.

For example:

Meema™ Hardenbergia
Yareena™ Myoporum
Aussie Rambler™

Job 2: Give the landscape structure

Add repeated groups of a compact shrub.

For example:

Mundi™ Westringia
Low Horizon™ Westringia
Grey Box™ Westringia
Goldie Box™ Westringia

Job 3: Add movement

Bring in something strappy or grassy.

For example:

Tanika® Lomandra or another Lomandra/Dianella suited to the conditions.

Then...

STOP.

Seriously.

You don't need another nine varieties because there was room left in the trolley.

Repeat.

That's how a large landscape starts looking intentional.

Frequently Asked Questions About Planting Slopes

What are the best plants for a dry slope in Australia?

There isn't one universal best plant. Choose according to sunlight, soil, drainage, climate and how much coverage or height you need. Groundcovers such as Meema™ Hardenbergia and Yareena™ Myoporum, low-growing Westringias and hardy strappy plants such as suitable Lomandras can all be useful options depending on the site. Meema is specifically recommended by its breeder for slope planting.

What is a good native groundcover for a slope?

Meema™ Hardenbergia is one option for suitable Australian gardens. It forms a shrubby groundcover approximately 50cm high × 2m wide and flowers heavily in purple during winter into early spring.

What can I plant on a slope instead of grass?

Depending on the site, consider groundcovers, low-growing shrubs, Lomandra, Dianella and mass-planted native landscape plants rather than trying to replace turf with one single lawn-like species.

What plants are good for a hot bank?

Look for plants suited to full sun, your soil and your local climate. Selected Westringias, Lomandras, Rhagodias, Myoporums and other hardy Australian landscape plants can be worth considering for suitable hot, exposed sites.

Can Hardenbergia Meema grow in full sun?

Yes. Meema™ is listed for full sun through to semi-shade. Its breeder also lists it as suitable for sandy through heavy clay soils and tolerant of drought once established.

How far apart should I plant Hardenbergia Meema?

Ozbreed recommends approximately 1–3 plants per square metre, or 1–2 plants per linear metre, depending on the planting application.

Which Westringia is best for groundcover?

It depends on the effect you want. Low Horizon™ is approximately 30cm × 70cm and has a particularly low, flat habit, while Mundi™ reaches approximately 50cm high and can spread around 1.5 metres.

Should I mulch a newly planted slope?

Mulch can help conserve soil moisture and suppress weeds while plants establish, provided it's appropriate for the site and doesn't simply wash downhill. Keep mulch away from plant crowns and stems.

The Biggest Mistake People Make With Slopes

It's treating the slope as a problem that needs to be hidden.

It doesn't.

A slope gives you something a flat garden doesn't have:

height.

Plants can cascade.

Shapes overlap.

You can see layers.

Mass planting becomes visible from a distance.

Groundcovers can actually show off their spreading habit.

And suddenly that horrible patch of grass you hated mowing becomes one of the most interesting parts of the property.

So perhaps the question isn't:

“How do I fix my slope?”

It's:

“What could this slope become?”

Because if your current landscaping strategy involves holding onto a mower with one hand and praying with the other...

I reckon the plants deserve a crack at it.