What can I plant under a Tea Tree/Melaleuca Tree?

[BlackThumb83]

What can I plant under a Tea Tree/Melaleuca?
Will Agapanthus thrive?
Other kinds of bulbs/flowering shrubbery?
Looking for evergreens that will have a bright flower that can handle to shade and soil beneath the Tea Tree.
Location, Frances South Australia.

 

[redback]

How big is this melaleuca? What is the soil - how much rain/irrigation is available. What are you trying to achieve landscape wise? Is it close to the house? Can we have a photo?

 

[BlackThumb83]

Melaleuca is a well established tree, not irrigated, but good rainfall. Loamy soil. Unsure of pH.
Wanting low maintenance. Something that flowers. Evergreen. It’s in my driveway on the edge of the first lawn area. Want to pretty it up a bit as the Melaleuca has split and fallen/split. Don’t want to cut it out just yet as it provides a great wind break.

 

[redback]

Agapanthus thrive everywhere but are a low bulb like bearded iris. Probably buddleias and abutilon would be hardy there and withstand the wind and the coming summer. I guess salvias and penstemons would also make the grade. It's usually best to visit the nursery somewhere close (Robe, Keith, Naracoorte) and see what is in stock.

 

[BlackThumb83]

Thank you!

 

[redback]

Thank you!

A pleasure. I mainly do vegetable gardening, but I have all those recommendations growing here. They all need sun about 6 hours a day and can handle more. They need reasonable drainage as well.
As for the Teatree poisoning the ground, I recommend planting them all on the outer dripline rather than hard against the root ball. If you want natives the nursery is better than I am.