Mingo Kangaroo Grass

Mingo Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra 'Mingo', still widely sold as Themeda australis) is the compact form of the grass that once covered most of the continent. It holds at roughly 50cm tall and 50cm wide, about half the size of the wild species, so it stays neat instead of flopping open. Plant it 50cm apart and it knits into a fine native meadow that wants no watering, no feeding and no mowing.

Why you'll love it

• An Australian native that behaves. The straight species reaches well over a metre and sprawls; this one stays compact and upright.
• Genuinely low input. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, heat tolerant and happy in poor soil, so once it is established it largely looks after itself.
• Safe around pets. Kangaroo grass is not toxic to cats or dogs, which matters in a plant used at ground level.
• Fine texture that reads as movement. Narrow blue green blades catch the wind and colour bronze through the cold months.
• It suits hard sites. Rockeries, thin verges, coastal front gardens and dry banks all work.

Where it works best

Mass planting and native meadow. Plant 50cm apart on a staggered grid, roughly four plants to the square metre. Ten plants cover about 2.5 square metres, or five metres of single row.

Borders and groundcover. The same 50cm spacing gives a soft edge to a path or driveway.

Rockeries and coastal gardens. Poor soil and drought tolerance make it useful between rocks and on dry slopes, and it holds up in exposed coastal gardens.

Growing Mingo Kangaroo Grass in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, and plenty of it. This is a plant for warm temperate, cool temperate, subtropical, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens, and it is frost hardy, so cold southern and inland districts suit it well. The wet tropics are the exception, where constant humidity and rainfall push it into soft growth.

Soil. Poor, gritty and free draining is what it wants. Do not enrich the bed. Rich soil and heavy feeding produce lush growth that flops and thins out.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer to settle the roots, then leave it alone except in extended drought. Feeding is optional at most; a light native fertiliser in early spring is plenty.

Pruning. Cut the whole clump back to about 100mm in late winter every year or two. That single trim removes the tired growth and brings back fresh blades in spring.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold in one size, a pack of ten 140mm plants. Each is an established young clump, not a seedling, which matters with a grass that is slow to build in its first year. Ten plants suit a small bed, a verge strip or a rockery pocket.

Grasses travel well because the foliage is tough and the crowns are compact, though blades can look creased on arrival and will straighten within a fortnight. Expect a quiet first season and a full clump by the second. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Designing with ornamental grasses.
• Replacing lawn with native planting.
• Compare the full grasses and strappy leaf range.
• Browse other Australian native plants.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Fifty centimetres apart on a staggered grid, which is about four plants to the square metre. Wider spacing leaves bare soil for weeds to claim while the clumps are still filling out.

Can I use it instead of lawn?

Not as a walked on lawn. It is a clumping grass, so it makes a low maintenance meadow to look at rather than a surface to play on. For an unused verge or nature strip it is an excellent swap.

Will it cope with frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy and handles cold southern and inland winters without protection. The foliage colours bronze over winter, then greens up again once the soil warms.