Backyard bush tucker! Edible Australian Native Plants you can grow at home.
For generations, Indigenous Australians have used their local environment to create diets rich in fibre, protein, and micronutrients. A large part of these diets are made up of bushtucker – Edible Australian Native Plants that can be eaten raw or cooked up to create amazing flavours.
While Indigenous Australians have long enjoyed the flavours and nutritional benefits of native plants, there are still many Aussies that are yet to indulge in these native goodies. Thanks to the success of indigenous bush recipes and publicity from high-profile chefs, Edible Australian Native Plants are starting to pop up in our local gardens, nurseries and markets.
Introducing the Edible Australian Native Plant Box!
At Plants in a Box, we’re all about planting and eating sustainably. That’s why we’ve introduced the Edible Australian Native Plant Box. Bursting with beautiful bush tucker, every plant in this box is native, drought tolerant, frost tolerant, and 100% edible!
What are some of the Bushtucker plants that can be delivered in the box?
Hella hardy and wonderfully versatile, our selection of Edible Australian Native Plants can be used to complement your cooking, tart up your tea or decorate your dishes. No more trips to Woolies for pre-picked herbs that only last a week! Simply plant your edible natives and pick them at your leisure. It's good to note that your box plant varieties can change weekly pending on the season.
Prostanthera sieberi ‘Native Bush Mint’
Better known as Native Bush Mint, this plant was used traditionally as a medicinal herb, but its edible leaves can also be used in modern cooking and herbal teas. Rich in essential oils, their leaves can be harvested to create a range of aromatherapy products.
Growing 1.8 metres high, this native beauty is perfect for pots or hedges and planting close to paths and windows, where you can enjoy its minty aroma. In springtime it produces masses of lilac flowers that are a favourite among the birds and the bees.
Leptospermum petersonii ‘Lemon Hedge’
This popular tea tree variety boasts fresh, lemony scented leaves and stunning, starry white blooms. You can extract the oils from the leaves to create your very own essential oils or use the leaves to make an amazingly aromatic herbal tea.
It’s alluring scent is a hit with the local bees and makes for a fantastically fragrant honey when they gather the nectar from its flowers. Growing 2-3 metres tall, its dense, evergreen foliage is perfect for creating hedges and windbreaks, especially in coastal gardens.
Bulbine bulbosa ‘Native Leek'
Also known as Native Leek or Wild Onion, this little babe produces protruding roots (corms) that taste a bit like an onion, but milder. The corms can be eaten raw but are best roasted and can be harvested year round. It will be a few years before you can harvest though so patience is key!
This beautiful native produces fragrant yellow flowers, which look beautiful when grown in clusters or containers. Well suited to rockeries and cottage gardens, it’s the perfect alternative to the foreign daffodil!
Image credit to Gardening with Angus
Brachyscome variety ‘Cut Leaf Daisy’
Known for their bright blooms, these tough groundcovers are perfect space-fillers for your garden. With a range of beautiful colours to choose from, these native daisies make a charming addition to flowerbeds, rockeries, window boxes and container gardens.
Producing well over 100 blooms per plant, Brachyscome are one of the longest flowering annuals in Australia. Better yet, there’s no need to deadhead spent blooms so it’s super low-maintenance. Their delicate, paper-like flowers are totally edible and will add a touch of class to fruit salads, cocktails and desserts!
Edible Australian Native Plant care
Most of the plant babies in this pack prefer a nice, bright, sunny spot, but check out each plant’s individual listing for a more in-depth ‘how to grow’ guide. If you have any burning questions, about our Edible Australian Native Plant Box, check out our Native Garden Coach Guide or shoot us a message!
Looking for a wider range of edible plants?
Check our full range of native and exotic edible plants here. Remember to always do your research about what parts of a plants are safe to eat before tucking in! We are always adding to our plant collections, so check back regularly to see our new additions.