Hardenbergia Lilac Lace

Hardenbergia 'Lilac Lace' (Hardenbergia violacea 'Lilac Lace') is the native climber that flowers in the dullest part of the year. Sprays of small lilac pea flowers cover it in late winter, when almost nothing else is out. It twines to about 2.5m on a trellis with a spread of 2m, or trails down a bank as a groundcover if you give it nothing to climb.

Why you'll love it

• Colour in late winter. The lilac flower sprays arrive in July and August in most districts, filling the gap before spring properly starts.
• Climber or groundcover, your choice. Give it a trellis and it twines to 2.5m. Give it a slope and it spreads across the face instead.
• Hardy across most of the country. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil once established.
• Native and good for pollinators. Bees and butterflies work the flowers in late winter, when nectar is scarce.

Where it works best

Screening a fence or trellis. Plant 1.5m apart along a fence or trellis. It is light enough for wire or lattice and will not pull a structure apart the way heavier climbers do.

Retaining walls and slopes. Planted along the top of a batter it trails down and covers the face, and the roots help hold the surface. Space it at 1.5m here as well.

Groundcover and coastal gardens. With nothing to climb it makes a low tangled cover about 300mm deep, and it handles coastal salt air without complaint.

Growing Hardenbergia 'Lilac Lace' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, though it accepts part shade with fewer flowers. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it is frost hardy once established. It is less at home in the wet tropics, where humidity brings on leaf problems.

Soil. Well drained and not rich. Sandy and gravelly soils are ideal, and poor ground is no obstacle. On clay, mound the planting position and work coarse material through it.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring if you feed at all, because high phosphorus damages the roots of many natives.

Pruning. Prune immediately after flowering in early spring, taking up to a third off to keep it dense and stop the base going bare. It takes a hard renovation well, so an old tangled plant can be cut back. Pruning later removes the buds for next winter.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are grown: tube stock, and 140mm plants in packs of ten. Tube stock is the value choice and the way most landscapers plant hardenbergia, because young plants twine onto a support quickly once established. The packs of ten suit a full fence line or a bank, where 1.5m spacing means you need real numbers.

Plants arrive with the stems wound onto a small stake or trimmed back, and a few dropped leaves after a long trip is normal. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Tie the leading stems onto your support in the first month, and look for the first real flowering in the second winter. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full climbing plant range
• Explore the Australian native range
• Plants for retaining walls and slopes
• Designing a native garden that attracts wildlife

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it along a fence?

One and a half metres apart. Each plant spreads to about 2m, so at that spacing the stems overlap and cover the panel without crowding each other at the base.

When should I prune it?

Straight after it finishes flowering in early spring. It sets the next season's buds through summer and autumn, so a late trim removes the very flowers you were waiting for.

Will it damage a timber fence?

No. It twines rather than gripping with aerial roots or suckers, and it stays light, so it simply needs a wire or a lattice to hold onto and leaves no marks behind.