Why the upper Mountains is different
Katoomba, Leura and Blackheath sit around 1,000 metres above sea level. Frosts can start in May and continue into October, and cold westerly winds dry plants out. Plants that thrive in Sydney often struggle here, while classic cool-climate plants love it.
Trees
- Japanese maples: brilliant autumn colour; give them shelter from hot afternoon sun and wind.
- Magnolias: spectacular late-winter and spring flowers.
- Ornamental cherries and crabapples: spring blossom, as seen along Leura Mall.
- Snow gums: a hardy native tree for exposed spots.
Shrubs
- Rhododendrons and azaleas: Blackheath's signature plants; they love acidic, well-drained soil.
- Camellias: winter and spring flowers, ideal for hedges.
- Hydrangeas: big summer flowers; colour varies with soil acidity.
- Lilacs: need cold winters to flower well.
- Box: the classic formal hedge.
Hardy natives
- Grevilleas: many varieties handle frost and feed birds.
- Correas: winter flowers when little else is blooming.
- Westringia: tough hedging native.
- Waratah: the NSW floral emblem, at home on sandstone soils.
- Mountain devil (Lambertia formosa): a local native with red flowers loved by honeyeaters.
Perennials and bulbs
- Peonies, hellebores, daffodils, tulips, bluebells and alliums all enjoy the cold.
Plants to avoid
Skip frost-tender plants like bougainvillea, frangipani and many tropical foliage plants, and avoid weedy escapees like privet, cotoneaster, broom and holly, which spread into the surrounding World Heritage bushland.
Planning a refresh? See our planting and garden makeover service.