The people have spoken and Melbourne has a new floral emblem: the endangered swamp everlasting has won our hearts and the popular vote.
A luminous golden paper daisy – fancy name Xerochrysum palustre – is set to shine as a symbol of our growing garden city.
Melburnians cast almost 25,000 votes in our quest for the perfect floral emblem – making this our most popular community engagement campaign of all time.
The swamp everlasting rose above its fellow floral finalists after trailing behind billy buttons for most of the vote, to win by a paper-thin margin of just 200 votes.
As it does in nature, the swamp everlasting defied all odds.
“Swamp everlasting is a beautiful flowering endangered species which was once abundant in our swampy wetlands,” First Nations Garden City Ambassador, Margaret Parisi said.
When picturing a ‘swamp’, your mind may not conjure a field of paper daisies – but this formidable flower is a wonder of the wetlands, and a reminder to care for Country.
“Seeing a flower which automatically says 'Melbourne’ is a great way to create an immediate, recognisable identity ... grounded in place, respectful of Country, and distinct from any other city,” Margaret said.
How will we use our floral emblem?
With the winner now chosen, we’re rolling up our sleeves to embed the swamp everlasting into Melbourne's identity. It’s all part of the plan to make sure Melbourne is known as the garden city – a city where nature is never far.
We’ll make sure the swamp everlasting is planted in our parks and gardens, and when in flower it will feature in planter boxes outside Melbourne Town Hall. Community plantings will be timed with the weather to help this local stunner thrive again.
We'll also honour the swamp everlasting in paint, in print and maybe even on Melbourne merch.
Newly minted Aussies will receive swamp everlastings at our citizenship ceremonies, which according to Royal Botanic Gardens seed ecologist Megan Hirst is a beautiful way to show we care.
“I’m rather fond of the idea that flowers can express our feelings. If someone were to give me a posy of everlastings, well that would be saying quite a lot, florally speaking. Don’t you think?”
Megan is a self-confessed swamp everlasting superfan who is committed to finding ways to save the species from extinction.
“It's likely the swamp everlasting was once common across our wetlands – some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet – and since colonisation it has been pushed into small, scattered pockets," Megan said.
“And yet it’s still here, holding on with steady resilience.”
Bringing a species back from the brink
Like other Australian flora and fauna, the swamp everlasting responds deftly to unpredictable weather. The large golden flowers blossom spectacularly from November to March, providing food for native bees and butterflies when other native plants are dormant.
A steady supply of water may even extend the flowering season beyond late summer, before it goes dormant and prepares to resprout from winter to spring.
The crispy, layered, yolky bracts (its ‘petals’) give the paper daisy its ‘everlasting’ beauty, while the tiny flowers in the centre open over many days to provide a prolonged feast for native pollinators.
“As Melbourne’s floral emblem, the swamp everlasting invites us to reflect on that resilience and to play our part in supporting the landscapes we care about,” Megan said.
“There’s real hope, too: with thoughtful restoration, good science, and people who genuinely care, species like this can come back. And we get to be part of that story.”
The swamp everlasting is critically endangered in Victoria. It is the highest priority species in our Threatened Species Living Collection Plan External link (PDF), developed with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria to conserve endangered plants through living collections and thoughtful plantings.
“By restoring and protecting the swamp everlasting, we’re not just helping a single species, we’re supporting whole wetland ecosystems.
“Its presence contributes to healthier habitat structure, provides resources for insects and other wildlife, and signals that the wetland itself is functioning well.”
Grow a piece of Melbourne in your patch
All Melburnians can help grow our garden city by planting the floral emblem and more native species wherever they can, according to Garden City Ambassador and renowned garden designer Paul Bangay OAM.
“On an individual level there is so much we can do to create more biodiversity, even if you only have a small space or balcony,” Paul said.
The swamp everlasting needs full sun and a well-watered garden bed or pot. It’s also the king of cut flowers. If picked when freshly opened they can hold onto their vibrant colour for many months or even years.
The swamp everlasting’s beauty is bolstered by its tenacity and grit. It also tells a story of Melbourne’s resilience, reminding us that when we come together, united in action, we can overcome adversity.
They are truly everlasting, just like our love for the garden city.
You can find the swamp everlasting and other indigenous seedlings at specialist nurseries such as Bili Nursery External link, which will soon move to new digs in the City of Melbourne with Westgate Biodiversity – and bring the floral emblem into your home.
Melbourne’s floral emblem: all the votes
Here’s how Melburnians voted when asked to choose between 9 floral finalists External link. Melburnians were given three votes each, with more than 8,500 people casting nearly 25,000 votes for their floral favourites.
How did your favourite flower fare? Votes are rounded to the nearest whole number.
- Swamp everlasting: 17%
- Common billy buttons: 15%
- Chocolate lily: 13%
- Purple coral pea: 13%
- Yam daisy, murnong: 11%
- Tall bluebell: 10%
- Kangaroo grass: 8%
- Rounded noon-flower: 7%
- Austral storksbill: 6%
Growing the garden city
Discover the garden city and Melbourne's floral emblem.
