Fan Flower

Fan Flower 'Pink Fusion' (Scaevola aemula 'Pink Fusion') is the native groundcover for hot, bright, difficult spots. It stays under 300mm tall and spreads to about 800mm, throwing pink fan shaped flowers over the foliage for most of the year in warm districts. Planted 50cm apart it covers bare ground quickly and asks for very little water once away.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers almost year round. In warm climates the pink fans keep coming through spring, summer and autumn, with only a brief winter pause.
• Low and spreading. Under 300mm tall by roughly 800mm wide, so it hugs the ground and never needs cutting back off a path.
• Fast cover. One of the quicker native groundcovers, which matters when you are shading out weeds on a new bed.
• Heat, drought and salt. Reflected heat off paving, dry sandy soil and coastal salt air are all within its range.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 50cm apart for quick groundcover, which is four plants per square metre. At that spacing the plants knit together within a season.

Borders, edging and rockeries. It spills neatly over a rock edge or the front of a bed, and bees and butterflies work the flowers all through the warm months.

Pots, baskets and coastal gardens. The trailing habit suits the edge of a large pot or a hanging basket in full sun, and it takes salt air on an exposed coastal balcony.

Growing Fan Flower in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. Shade gives long stems and few flowers. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid to semi-arid gardens. Light frost is tolerated once established, so hard frosting inland or cold southern gardens should treat it as a warm season pot plant.

Soil. Free draining and on the lean side. Sandy and gravelly soils are ideal. On clay, raise the bed and work coarse material through it, because sitting wet is the main cause of sudden collapse.

Water and feed. Water twice a week for the first month, weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. A light controlled release native fertiliser in early spring is enough; heavy feeding gives you leaf at the expense of flowers.

Pruning. Shear the whole planting back by about a third in late winter, or after a heavy flush. It looks bare for a fortnight, then returns denser and flowers harder. Left untrimmed it goes woody and open in the centre after two or three years.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are grown: tube stock, and 140mm plants in packs of ten. For groundcover the pack of ten is the sensible unit, since 50cm spacing means ten plants cover roughly two and a half square metres. Tube stock is the cheapest way to plant a large area and it catches up within a season.

Plants arrive young, often with a few flowers open and stems kept short for transit. A little leaf drop after a long trip is normal. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect visible spread within four to six weeks in warm weather, and full cover in one to two seasons. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to choosing groundcover plants
• Browse the full groundcover range
• Plants that suit rockeries and gravel gardens
• Choosing edging plants for the front of a bed

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

Four, at the 50cm spacing we recommend. On a large area you can stretch to 60cm and accept an extra few months before the ground closes over.

Why has mine gone woody in the middle?

That is normal after two or three years without a hard trim. Shear the whole plant back by a third in late winter and it refurnishes from the base within a month.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. Established plants shrug off a touch of white on the lawn, but repeated hard frosts kill it, so cold gardens should grow it in pots that can be moved under cover.