Pink Powder Puff Hula Girl

Pink Powder Puff 'Hula Girl' (Calliandra brevipes 'Hula Girl') is a soft, loose shrub to about 2m tall and 1.5m wide, covered through the warmer months in pink flowers shaped like tiny shaving brushes. The foliage is fine and ferny, so it screens a fence line without the heavy look of a clipped hedge. Birds, bees and butterflies work the flowers constantly.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers you notice from the house. The blooms sit on the outside of the bush, so the colour reads from a distance.
• A screen with a light touch. At 2m by 1.5m it covers a low fence or a neighbour's window without shading the bed beneath.
• Tough once established. Drought and heat tolerant, so a hot western boundary suits it better than a damp shaded corner.
• Genuine wildlife value. Honeyeaters take the nectar, and it is one of the better bee and butterfly plants for a small garden.

Where it works best

Informal hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row. At that spacing they knit together while keeping their natural arching shape, which is the point of using this shrub instead of a clipped hedge.

Feature planting. A single plant carries the flowering season on its own, and pairs well with darker evergreen foliage behind it.

Pots and containers. A pot 400mm or wider holds it at around 1.5m. Potted plants dry out fast, so keep checking through summer even though it is drought tolerant in the ground.

Growing Pink Powder Puff in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering; part shade works but the plant stretches and flowers less. Tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens all suit it. Light frost only, so cold inland districts and hard frosting southern gardens want a sheltered warm wall or a hardier shrub.

Soil. Free draining soil is the main requirement. On clay, plant on a raised mound with compost through the bed, and keep 75mm of mulch clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep water twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. A slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough; heavy feeding builds leaf at the expense of flowers.

Pruning. Prune after the main flush, cutting back by up to a third to keep it dense and stop the base going bare. It reshoots readily, so an overgrown plant can be cut hard.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten, and 200mm in packs of six. Tubes are young single stemmed plants and the value choice for a long boundary, a season slower to fill out. The 140mm and 200mm plants arrive branching and give a visible hedge line in the first year.

The fine foliage travels well, though some leaf drop after transit is normal, with new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather. Expect first flowers in the season after planting. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Screening plants that finish between 1m and 2m
• How to plant and maintain a hedge
• More bee and butterfly plants
• Browse the wider flowering plant range

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. Closer spacing does not close the gap faster, and makes the row harder to water and prune.

How long does it flower for?

Through the warmer months, with the heaviest flush in spring and summer. Full sun and a light prune after each flush keep the display going.

Can I keep it smaller than 2m?

Yes. Cutting back by up to a third after flowering holds it at 1.2m to 1.5m, and because it reshoots from old wood it stays furnished at the base.

Will it cope with frost?

Light frost only. A few degrees below zero burns the soft new growth, so it is not a plant for the tablelands or hard frosting southern gardens without shelter.