Our People
We are proud of our team at Kuranga Native Nursery. Indeed, we employ some of Australia’s most experienced native plant horticulturalists.
Meanwhile, our Café team creates delicious meals with bushfood flavors. This allows visitors to experience authentic Australian tastes.
Above all, we share a passion for the Kuranga experience. We inspire visitors to discover how Australian native plants enhance their lives and benefit future generations.
We are all passionate about inspiring every visitor to immerse themselves in the Kuranga experience and discover the beauty of what Australian natives can bring to their lives and the lives of the next generation.
To understand our roots, you have to go back to Kuranga’s beginnings as a small specialist nursery with a big passion for Australian native plants.
Kuranga Native Nursery was founded in 1983 by Evan Clucas and Leanne Weston, originally operating behind a garden centre in Ringwood. Spotting a gap in the market, they set out to grow a diverse and unusual range of native flora, plants that were rarely seen in mainstream nurseries at the time.
As interest grew, so did Kuranga. In the mid-2000s, the business expanded and a new garden centre was established at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in Mt Evelyn, giving the nursery room to grow its collection and its reputation.
For many years, Kuranga was something of a hidden gem. But word spread quickly, and today hundreds of visitors arrive daily to discover and celebrate the beauty of Australian native plants.
In recent years, demand for native gardens has surged. With hotter summers, prolonged droughts and the introduction of exciting new plant varieties, natives have become a natural choice for both home and commercial landscapes.
Today, Kuranga’s story continues under new ownership. Ben, Evan’s former apprentice, now runs the nursery alongside his wife Alexa and their children, carrying forward the original vision while growing Kuranga into Australia’s leading destination for rare and remarkable native plants, with more than 3,700 species on offer.
That growth has continued beyond Mt Evelyn. Kuranga Native Nursery has since expanded our in-house production capability by purchasing a larger growing site in Wonga Park, securing the business’s future as we continue to strive to grow the best quality and widest range possible.
Now, in the latest chapter of our story, Kuranga has acquired a former nursery and cafe site, now known as Kuranga Warrandyte. The site has completed its first stage of renovations, with more exciting changes to come through 2027. With two locations we are now bringing greater accessibility of native plants closer to home for Melbourne’s suburbs.
