What Can I Plant Along a Driveway? Best Plants for Australian Driveways

This is a cracker for your inventory because driveways are deceptively horrible growing environments: reflected heat, narrow beds, cars brushing past, sometimes poor soil, and plants that eventually grow wider than anyone expected.

And we can naturally feature Westringia, Lomandra, Dianella, Eremophila, Rhagodia, Callistemon Slim, Space Saver Melaleuca and groundcovers without it reading like a catalogue.

What Can I Plant Along a Driveway? Best Plants for Australian Driveways

There is one measurement I wish everybody took before planting beside a driveway.

Not the length.

Not the soil depth.

Not even the amount of sun.

Open the car door.

Seriously.

Because that innocent little 30cm shrub sitting beside your driveway today has absolutely no intention of remaining 30cm wide.

And three years from now, somebody is going to be trying to get out of the passenger seat while being physically assaulted by a Westringia.

Driveway gardens look simple.

Long strip.

Plants.

Done.

Except they're actually one of the easiest parts of a garden to get wrong.

They're often hot.

Exposed.

Narrow.

Surrounded by concrete or bitumen.

They may receive reflected afternoon heat.

They need to tolerate the occasional rogue tyre, school bag, football and person carrying seventeen bags of groceries.

And because driveways are usually one of the first things we see when arriving at a house, the planting has an enormous effect on how the whole property feels.

So what should you plant?

Before we get anywhere near the plants, there's something more important to work out.

How Much Room Do You Actually Have?

This sounds obvious.

It isn't.

A garden bed might be one metre wide.

That doesn't mean you've got one metre available for a plant.

Do cars need clearance?

Do doors open over the garden?

Is there a footpath?

Does the plant need to stay behind the kerb?

Could foliage eventually obstruct visibility when you're reversing?

Measure the usable space, not simply the garden bed.

Then choose plants according to their mature size.

Not the size they are when you buy them.

That one decision can save you years of pruning.

Driveways Can Be Seriously Hot

Put your hand near concrete or dark paving on a hot summer afternoon.

Now imagine being a plant.

Hard surfaces absorb and radiate heat, and driveway beds can experience considerably harsher conditions than areas only a few metres away.

A west-facing driveway can be particularly brutal.

This is where tough landscape plants earn their keep.

But remember:

“Drought tolerant” doesn't mean “plant it and walk away.”

Even hardy plants need appropriate watering while their roots establish.

Once established, the right plant for the site should become much easier to live with.

That's the goal.

1. Lomandra Tanika® — The Driveway Workhorse

There is a reason you see Lomandra used in professional landscaping.

And no, it isn't because landscapers ran out of imagination.

Tanika® Lomandra gives you fine, arching foliage, movement and structure without creating a giant solid wall beside the driveway.

Repeated down a long driveway, it creates rhythm.

That's important.

You don't need every metre of a driveway to contain a different plant.

In fact, please don't.

A long sweep of the same plant can make even a relatively simple garden look considered.

Tanika also works beautifully combined with lower groundcovers or contrasting foliage rather than being asked to do everything itself.

Best for: repetition, mass planting, movement and longer driveway beds where its mature size suits the available space.

2. Little Jess™ Improved Dianella — When You Need Something Smaller

Sometimes the bed simply doesn't have room for a larger Lomandra.

This is where a compact Dianella becomes useful.

Little Jess™ Improved brings that same grassy, strappy movement at a smaller scale.

It works particularly well where you want a neat repeated planting rather than a conventional hedge.

And because the foliage isn't forming one solid block, it can soften hard paving without making the driveway feel narrower.

This is one of those plants that might not scream for attention individually.

Plant twenty of them properly?

Completely different story.

3. Grey Box™ Westringia — Structure Without the Monster Hedge

Driveways often need structure.

But structure doesn't have to mean a giant hedge.

Grey Box™ Westringia gives you a compact, naturally rounded form with grey-green foliage.

That foliage colour is particularly useful beside hard landscaping.

Concrete.

Charcoal paving.

Gravel.

Stone.

Timber.

Suddenly the garden has another colour besides green.

And because it's compact, you're getting defined little shapes rather than planting something enormous and spending the next decade trying to convince it to stay small.

That's one of the great secrets of low-maintenance gardening: choose the size you want rather than pruning something into it forever.

4. Goldie Box™ Westringia — When Everything Is Too Green

Green plant.

Lovely.

But sometimes a garden needs contrast.

Goldie Box™ Westringia brings a brighter foliage colour while maintaining a compact form.

Used in repeated groups, that colour can create little moments of light along a driveway without relying on flowers.

And that's something I think home gardeners underestimate.

Flowers are temporary.

Foliage is doing the shift every day.

If you're designing a garden that needs to look good all year, foliage colour matters enormously.

5. Eremophila — For Hotter, Tougher Positions

Now we're talking Australian conditions.

Eremophilas can be brilliant landscape plants where the particular variety is suited to the site.

Plants such as Blue Horizon™ and ThrivR™ give you another combination we love:

Toughness + foliage.

Blue-grey and silver foliage can look spectacular beside darker paving and green plants.

It also gives a garden that distinctly Australian feel without requiring everything to be a gum tree.

If your driveway gets serious sun and reflected heat, tough plants suited to those conditions deserve to be much higher on your shopping list than whatever happens to be flowering prettiest on the day.

6. Aussie Hedge Bush™ — Silver Changes Everything

If you've never deliberately used silver foliage in a garden...

Try it.

Aussie Hedge Bush™ Rhagodia gives you a completely different texture and colour from the usual green driveway planting.

And silver foliage does something rather clever.

It creates contrast while still feeling natural.

Put it near deep green foliage.

Or dark paving.

Or grasses.

Suddenly both plants look better.

That's good plant combination design.

Not:

“What colour flower goes with this?”

But:

“What does this foliage need beside it?”

7. Callistemon Slim™ — When You Need Height, Not Width

This is one of the most common driveway problems.

You need screening.

But you've got approximately twelve centimetres and optimism to work with.

A conventional wide hedge can quickly become a nuisance beside a narrow driveway.

That's where plants bred for narrower growth habits become extremely useful.

Callistemon Slim™ gives you height and screening in a more upright form than many traditional screening shrubs.

That makes it worth considering along suitable boundaries where you need vertical screening without sacrificing enormous amounts of horizontal space.

And because it's a Callistemon, you get those unmistakable flowers as part of the deal.

Practical plant first.

Beautiful native second.

Exactly how we like them.

8. Space Saver™ Melaleuca — Make the Screen Do More

If you're planting a long screen beside a driveway, you've got an opportunity.

Yes, it can hide the neighbour.

But why stop there?

A flowering Australian native screen can contribute habitat, movement and seasonal interest as well.

Space Saver™ Melaleuca is another option worth considering where its mature dimensions suit the space.

Because if we're going to plant twenty of something...

We may as well make those twenty plants useful.

What About Groundcovers Along a Driveway?

Absolutely.

In fact, this can be one of the nicest ways to soften the edge between paving and garden.

Low spreading plants can blur that very hard:

DRIVEWAY | GARDEN

line.

Depending on your conditions, plants such as Scaevola Purple Fusion™, Yareena™ Myoporum, Aussie Rambler™ and other spreading groundcovers can create that lower layer.

Just remember one thing.

Don't plant something beside a driveway and then become annoyed when it spreads onto the driveway if spreading is literally its job.

Allow enough setback.

Plant for the mature plant.

Not today's little tube.

What About a Narrow Driveway Garden Bed?

This deserves its own answer because narrow beds are everywhere.

If the garden bed is genuinely narrow, stop trying to squeeze ordinary-sized shrubs into it.

Look for plants specifically suited to restricted spaces.

Depending on the conditions and the amount of height required, options might include:

compact Dianella
selected Westringias
narrow screening plants
lower groundcovers
smaller grasses

Sometimes the answer isn't finding a tiny hedge.

Sometimes it's not planting a hedge at all.

A repeated row of compact strappy plants can give you structure without turning the driveway into a green corridor.

How Far Apart Should Driveway Plants Be?

Here comes our favourite answer:

It depends on the plant.

And yes, we know that's annoying.

But it's true.

Spacing should take into account:

mature width
desired effect
whether plants should eventually touch
how quickly you want coverage
access requirements
airflow
proximity to paving

Planting closer generally creates a fuller effect sooner.

Planting wider can reduce the initial plant quantity but leaves more open space during establishment.

Neither is automatically right.

The important thing is to base your spacing on the actual variety, not a generic rule.

Should Driveway Plants Be Planted in a Straight Line?

They can be.

Sometimes a beautifully repeated straight line is exactly what a modern garden needs.

But you have options.

For wider beds, staggered planting can create more depth.

You might repeat one structural plant, then weave a lower groundcover through it.

Or plant larger groups rather than alternating individual varieties.

For example:

AAA BBB AAA BBB

usually feels much more deliberate than:

A B C D E F G H

The second one isn't necessarily a garden design.

It's roll call.

A Simple Driveway Planting Formula

If you're staring at a long empty driveway and don't know where to begin, try this.

Choose one hero workhorse

Something you'll repeat heavily.

Perhaps:

Tanika® Lomandra

Little Jess™ Dianella

or a compact Westringia.

Add contrast

Choose something with a noticeably different foliage colour or form.

Perhaps:

Blue Horizon™ Eremophila

Aussie Hedge Bush™

or Goldie Box™ Westringia.

Add a lower layer

Where appropriate, bring in a spreading groundcover.

Now repeat those plants.

That's it.

Three plants can landscape an enormous driveway beautifully.

You do not need to recreate the entire Australian Botanic Garden before reaching the letterbox.

What If I Need Privacy Along My Driveway?

Then design backwards from the privacy requirement.

How high does the screen actually need to be?

How wide can it become?

How much sunlight does it receive?

Will cars need to pass beside it?

Are there sightline requirements near the road?

Once you've answered those questions, choose the screening plant.

Don't simply buy the fastest-growing thing available.

Fast-growing plants have an annoying habit of continuing to grow after they've reached the height you wanted.

The fastest hedge is not always the easiest hedge.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best plants for along a driveway in Australia?

The best plants depend on available width, sunlight, soil, climate and whether you need screening, groundcover or simply decorative planting. Lomandra, Dianella, compact Westringia, selected Eremophila and Australian native groundcovers can all be useful depending on the site.

What can I plant beside a hot driveway?

Look for plants suited to full sun and reflected heat in your climate. Hardy Australian landscape plants including selected Westringias, Eremophilas, Lomandras, Dianellas and Rhagodias may be worth considering depending on the conditions.

What plants are good for a narrow driveway?

Choose plants according to mature width rather than nursery size. Compact Dianellas, selected compact Westringias and purpose-bred narrow screening plants can be useful where space is restricted.

What can I plant along a driveway for privacy?

Where a narrow screen is required, look for plants with an upright growth habit and a mature width suited to the available space. Callistemon Slim™ and other narrow screening varieties may be worth considering depending on your climate and site.

How far should plants be from the edge of a driveway?

There is no universal measurement. Consider the plant's mature width, whether foliage will spread onto the driveway, vehicle clearance, opening car doors and pedestrian access before deciding where to position the centre of the plant.

Are native plants good beside driveways?

They can be excellent choices, but being Australian native doesn't automatically make a plant suitable for every driveway. Match the individual variety to your climate, soil, sunlight, available space and moisture conditions.

Before You Plant Your Driveway...

Park the car.

Open every door.

Walk around it.

Reverse out.

Stand at the road and check your visibility.

Then look at the garden bed.

That's the space you're actually designing.

Not the empty strip you measured on the plan.

Choose plants that fit that space when they're mature.

Repeat the good ones.

Use foliage as much as flowers.

And remember that the best driveway planting shouldn't spend its life trying to climb into the car with you.

It should make you look back at the house as you leave and think:

Bloody hell. That looks good.