What Do Plants Cost in Australia?
When you start planning a garden, plant prices can be confusing. The same plant may appear at a wholesale price, a nursery retail price, or as part of a landscaper’s supply and install cost. These are three different prices for three different stages of getting a plant from a grower into a garden.
Understanding the difference helps you set a realistic budget and read a landscaping quote. A wholesale price is useful information, but it is not usually what a homeowner pays to have a plant selected, delivered and planted.
Know the difference between wholesale and retail nurseries.
1. Wholesale: the grower’s price
Wholesale is the trade price charged by a grower. It is generally the base cost of the plant before retail or landscaping services are added. The price depends on the plant species, its size, availability and where it is being grown and sold.
The HortOS wholesale plant price directory is a handy Australian reference. It brings together published grower prices and shows median, low and high prices for many plants and sizes, including state comparisons. Local availability, supply and demand, growing conditions and transport can all affect what growers charge.
Wholesale prices are not retail prices and are not necessarily available to homeowners. Growers usually sell to the trade, and the price may exclude GST and freight. Treat wholesale figures as a starting point, rather than a direct comparison with a landscaper’s quote.
2. Retail: buying from a nursery
Retail is the price a customer pays when buying a plant from a garden centre or retail nursery. The nursery has costs beyond the grower’s price: ordering, transport, caring for stock, staff, premises and the risk that plants may not sell or need replacing.
As a broad budgeting guide, expect a retail price to be roughly double the wholesale price. It is not a fixed formula. A common plant sold in high volumes may have a different margin from a slow-growing or less available specimen. Size and local market matter too.
For example, if a plant has a wholesale price of $10, a rough retail price might be around $20. The example is there to explain the relationship between stages, not to predict the exact shelf price of a particular plant.
3. Supply and install: the landscaper’s price
A landscaper’s supply and install price includes more than the plant itself. It can include selecting and sourcing the plants, checking availability, placing orders, organising collection, driving or arranging delivery, unloading and handling plants on site, preparing the ground, planting, watering in and cleaning up. Some projects also include maintenance during the establishment period, when plants need regular attention to help them take hold.
A second rough doubling can help explain the difference. Using the same $10 wholesale example, retail might be around $20 and supply and install around $40. This is a practical rule of thumb, not an industry rate. The actual figure changes with the plant, site, quantity, access, preparation, installation and any maintenance included.
This is why a landscaper’s price can look like a large markup against a wholesale list. Some of the difference is profit, but the price also pays for coordination, vehicles, labour and responsibility. The plant is being purchased as part of a service.
What to expect in a landscaping quote
On smaller projects, particularly those under $50,000, quotes are often fairly simple. They may list the work the landscaper will carry out and give one total at the end. The cost of plants is commonly included within the quoted supply and install services. You may not see a separate wholesale plant price, or even a separate line for each plant.
Ask what the planting allowance includes. Is it for plants supplied and installed? Does it include delivery, soil preparation and planting? Is establishment maintenance covered? You do not need every cost itemised, but it helps to know what the total covers.
Use wholesale data as a reference point, not a substitute for an installed price. A quote several times higher may reflect the work and costs between the grower and the finished garden. Check the scope, plant sizes and included services before deciding whether the price is reasonable.
Planning the whole garden budget
Plant prices are one part of a garden’s cost. Layout, paths, paving, walls, drainage, irrigation and construction sequencing affect the budget too. Making planting decisions alongside the rest of the design helps you see where the money is going and where adjustments can be made.
Gramina’s Complete Plan PLUS brings a bespoke garden design together with a build cost estimate. It includes a site-specific layout, planting plan and palette, build notes and a cost breakdown to help you compare priorities, stage work and approach contractors with a clearer budget.
We take on limited clients each month so every garden plan receives proper care and attention.
Build with a Clear Budget.
This is our Complete Plan PLUS a Build Cost Estimate so you know what your new design costs before you build.
The Complete Plan PLUS brings together our most comprehensive gramina garden plan AND a build cost estimate, to give you a full break down of how much your new garden will cost to build. The Complete Plan is the most comprehensive Gramina Garden Plan. It brings together a fully bespoke garden theme, a site-specific design, and a resolved planting strategy into one clear, build-ready package. The result is a one-of-a-kind garden design that reflects how you want to live outdoors, shaped precisely to your site.
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One-on-one video/phone conversation
You share your brief, aspirations, priorities, and budget expectations in a focused call that sets the foundation for the design.Send us your site photos
You send through photos of your garden and surrounding conditions to inform layout, scale, and character.We design and cost your garden
We develop a unique garden theme, a bespoke concept layout, rendered views using your site photos, a planting plan, planting list, build notes, and a Build Cost Estimate to help you understand the likely cost of bringing the garden to life.
What’s included in the Complete Plan PLUS
Build Cost Estimate
A cost estimate that breaks down construction costs. This shows investment required, compare priorities, stage work, and hire contractors with confidence.One-on-one detailed video/phone conversation
A dedicated conversation to understand your site, priorities, aspirations, and budget direction before design begins.A fully unique Custom Garden Plan Theme
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Any additional moments you choose are integrated seamlessly into your bespoke concept plan.