Climate Zones for Australian Gardeners

Name: Saltbush- Ruby
SKU: H1-19
Price: 1.50 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock

Knowing your climate zone will help you decide the best time to sow the vegetables, herbs and flowers you want to grow, and which varieties should perform well in your garden. Growing plants that are suited to your climate zone will usually give you the best results in your garden.

How to Use Climate Zones

First, find your climate zone using the map or descriptions below. Next, refer to our sowing chart, which provides approximate sowing times for our most popular seeds for each climate zone.

While knowing your climate zone is helpful when planning your garden, there are many other factors that may affect how your plants grow, including unseasonal weather conditions, the specific microclimate of your garden and how you care for your plants. You know your garden better than us, so if a different climate zone seems to ‘fit’ your garden better, go ahead and use it as a guide.

Our climate zones cover huge areas of Australia, so we recommend gardeners also consider their local conditions when planning what and when to plant. For example, gardeners in alpine areas have shorter growing seasons than gardeners in cool coastal areas, even though both alpine and coastal areas are included in our ‘Cool Temperate’ climate zone. We recommend gardeners in cool regions look at the ‘days to maturity’ information provided for each variety and choose those that will mature in a short (6-12 week) growing season.

climate map

Tropical

Includes: Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Exmouth
High humidity summers with most rainfall in summer and dry, warm winters. Includes northern Australia from Exmouth (WA) across to south of Townsville (Qld).
Set as my climate My climate

Arid

Includes: Alice Springs, Mildura, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo
Hot dry summers, winters can be warm or cool depending on the region. Includes a large area of central Australia from the WA coast to Charleville (Qld), Tamworth (NSW) and Albury-Wodonga (NSW/Vic).
Set as my climate My climate

Subtropical

Includes: Brisbane, Bundaberg, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast
Warm humid summers with high summer rainfall and mild winters. Includes coastal Queensland and northern NSW from north of Mackay to just south of Coffs Harbour.
Set as my climate My climate

Temperate

Includes: Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Toowoomba, Central Coast NSW, Wollongong, Bunbury
Moderate humidity and reliable rainfall, with four distinct seasons. Includes coastal areas from north of Port Macquarie to south of Woollongong in NSW, coastal SA and the southeastern coast of WA.
Set as my climate My climate

Cool Temperate

Includes: Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mt Gambier
Low humidity with most rainfall in winter; hot dry summers and cold winters. Some regions will experience frosts and snow. Includes coastal areas of south-eastern Australia and alpine areas of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
Set as my climate My climate

Climate Zones FAQ

What if I can’t find my climate zone?
If you can’t locate your zone from looking at the map or the descriptions on this page, we suggest that you think of an area that has a climate that’s similar to yours and use the zone for that area as a guide.

What if I live on the border of two zones?
If you live near the border between two zones we suggest you read the descriptions for both zones and decide which best describes the climate where you live. Depending on the microclimate in your garden, you may be able to grow a wider range of plants over a longer season than others in your zone. Lucky you!

What is a microclimate?
A microclimate is a small area where the temperature or humidity differs to the climate of the surrounding area. For example, if you live in a climate zone where frosts are common but your garden is protected by buildings or large trees, your garden may be frost-free. Similarly, if you live in a warm temperate zone but your garden is at a high altitude your microclimate may have more in common with the cool temperate zone, so use this as a guide when deciding which zone is relevant to you.

Can I grow varieties not listed for my climate zone?
While our climate zones and sowing chart will help you decide what is suitable to plant in your garden, they provide general guidance only. We recommend you start by sowing seed that’s recommended for your climate zone; once you get a few successes under your belt you can experiment with varieties in neighbouring zones and see how you go – gardening is all about experimenting after all!

Description

'Saltbush- Ruby' seeds

Enchylaena tomentosa

Evergreen perennial to 50cm

Edible berries with a salty, sweet flavour

Tolerant of poor soils and drought

An evergreen shrubby perennial growing to 50cm and spreading up to 1m. The small grey-green leaves are succulent and the stems are covered in small hairs. Insignificant white flowers appear from spring to autumn and are following by small (5mm wide) succulent berries that turn from green to yellow to bright red when ripe.

The berries have a sweet, salty flavour and can be eaten straight from the plant or used as a garnish or to make cordial. Makes a good groundcover or plant in beds in a native garden; provides habitat for small birds and insects. Tolerant of drought, poor or sandy soil, saline and coastal conditions. May self-seed.

Native to all mainland states of Australia in all climates except tropical. Also known as 'Barrier Saltbush'.

Note: Seeds of many native plants are dormant and will not germinate until ideal environmental conditions are met. Follow instructions for pre-treatment and sowing, and be patient; some wild harvested seeds can take much longer to germinate than expected.

Beds

Mass plantings Drought tolerant icon

Drought tolerant Ground Cover icon

Ground Cover Culinary use icon

Culinary use Ornamental use icon

Ornamental use White/Cream icon

White/Cream Flowers

Seeds per gram: 60
Product code: H1-19

Quick Sowing Guide

Method	Raise seedlings
Sowing Depth	3mm
Season	Spring, summer and autumn
Germination	7-28 days @ 18-22°C
Hardiness / Life Cycle	Frost Hardy Perennial
Plant Spacing	60cm
Plant Height	50cm
Position	Full or part sun, well drained soil
Days Until Maturity	200 days

*Notes: Smoke treatment is not required but may improve germination. Prune after fruiting to keep plants compact.

Shipping

We deliver Australia wide.

All orders are dispatched from our warehouse in Knoxfield, Victoria, Australia.

We do not deliver overseas.

Shipping cost is calculated using all the items in your shopping cart and your delivery postcode. The table below outlines the delivery options and costs.

Order dispatch time is currently 2-4 business days plus delivery time.
Please note we are unable to guarantee specific delivery dates or delivery timeframes, all delivery times are estimates only.

Order contains:	Delivery options:	Delivery cost per order
		VIC, NSW, ACT, QLD, TAS, SA, NT	WA
Small seed packets ONLY -	Economy Delivery	$3.00 or FREE on orders over $25	$5
	Parcel Delivery	Capped rate of $8.99
	Express Delivery	$15.00

BULK seed, garden supplies, tools, or accessories -	Parcel Delivery	Capped rate of $8.99
BULK seed, garden supplies, tools, or accessories -	Express Delivery	Starting from $15.00 (Calculated by weight)

Live Plants -	Live plants	Capped rate of $10.00

*All orders sent to Western Australia are subject to mandatory inspection and fees by Quarantine WA. These fees are included in all shipping costs above.

**We will replace all orders that are lost or damaged in transit however we will not replace or refund orders simply because they were delivered later than estimated. Full details here.