Goodenia

How to choose a goodenia

The Hop Goodenia is an open, quick growing shrub that usually reaches one to two metres high and about as wide, with bright green toothed leaves and yellow flowers over a long season. It is the one to pick for fast fill between slower shrubs. Goodenia Gold Cover is the prostrate form of the same species, staying low and spreading outwards, which makes it the choice for banks, bed edges and the ground under taller natives. The Clasping Goodenia is a shrub from South Australia, named for the way its leaves wrap around the stem, and it suits gardeners after something less common.

All three flower in yellow, so the decision is really about height and spread. Mixing the shrub and the groundcover form gives two layers of the same foliage and flower.

Where goodenia works

Hop goodenia grows naturally in moist forests and gullies of south eastern Australia, so it is at home in temperate and cool gardens with part shade and reasonable moisture. It also grows in sun if the soil does not dry out for long, and it tolerates moderate frost. It is less suited to the hot, humid tropics.

Because it grows so quickly, goodenia is widely used as a pioneer plant: it covers bare soil, shelters slower plants, and holds a slope while the permanent planting gets going. It fits naturally among other Australian native shrubs, and the prostrate form sits well with other groundcover plants on banks and under trees. The open yellow flowers are visited by native bees and other insects, so it also belongs in a planting of native bee plants.

Planting and spacing

Plant in autumn or spring into soil loosened to twice the width of the pot. Goodenias are not fussy about soil type, provided it holds some moisture and does not stay waterlogged. Space the shrub forms about one metre apart for a continuous planting, and the prostrate form at around one plant per square metre for cover. Water in well and mulch with a coarse bark or leaf mulch.

Care basics

Water regularly through the first summer. Once established, goodenias cope with dry spells in shade, but look fresher and flower longer with an occasional deep soak. Tip prune young plants to make them bushy, then cut back by about a third after the main flush of flowers. This matters, because unpruned plants become leggy and open after a few years. If you feed at all, use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in spring.

Goodenias are quick rather than long lived. Expect several good years, and replace or take cuttings when plants thin out. They strike readily from cuttings taken in the warmer months.

Common questions

How fast does hop goodenia grow?

Very quickly. In reasonable soil with moisture it can reach close to full size within a couple of seasons, which is why it is used to fill new gardens.

Does goodenia grow in shade?

Yes. Hop goodenia and its prostrate form grow well in part shade and dappled light under trees, with fewer flowers in deep shade.

Is goodenia frost hardy?

Hop goodenia tolerates moderate frost. New growth can be burnt in a hard frost, but plants usually reshoot once pruned in spring.

How long do goodenias live?

They are fairly short lived shrubs. Regular pruning after flowering keeps them dense and extends their useful life.