Spreading Correa

Spreading Correa (Correa decumbens) is the native groundcover that earns its keep in the cooler months, when most of the garden has gone quiet. It mounds to about 600mm tall and spreads to 1.5m, covered in small dark leaves, and carries narrow red tubes tipped with green, held upward rather than hanging like most correas. Honeyeaters find it quickly.

Why you'll love it

• Nectar in the off season. The red and green tubes open when little else is flowering, which is exactly when honeyeaters are short of food.
• It covers ground without climbing. A mounding habit at 600mm by 1.5m, so it fills a bed rather than twining through its neighbours.
• Built for difficult ground. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and happy in poor soil.
• Almost no upkeep. No staking, no feeding regime and one light trim a year is the whole maintenance list.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 1m apart for a dense cover, which works out at one plant per square metre. Expect the canopies to close over 12 to 18 months.

Rockeries, borders and edging. The low mound suits the front of a bed or the gaps between rocks, and it will drape if given an edge to fall over.

Coastal gardens. Salt tolerance makes it a sound choice for a seaside block, planted behind taller shrubs for some shelter.

Growing Spreading Correa in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering, though it takes partial shade with a looser habit. This is a plant for warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it is genuinely frost hardy. It is not the pick for tropical or subtropical gardens, where wet summer heat sits badly on it.

Soil. Free draining is the one requirement. It handles poor, sandy and gravelly ground, so resist the urge to enrich the bed. Mulch 50mm deep and keep it off the stems.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer while the roots take hold, then only in long dry spells. Feed once in early spring with a low phosphorus native fertiliser. Standard garden fertiliser can damage the roots.

Pruning. Trim lightly all over once the main flowering finishes. That keeps the mound dense instead of woody in the middle.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: tube stock, and 140mm plants in packs of ten. Tubes are young single plants and the sensible choice for a large area, since they establish fast and catch up within a season. A pack of ten 140mm plants covers about ten square metres at 1m spacing.

Plants travel upright and settle quickly. Expect a quiet first month, then noticeable spread from the second season. 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

• See other bird attracting native plants to pair with it.
• Browse the wider groundcover range.
• Compare options for coastal gardens.
• Look through our Australian native shrubs.

Common questions

How many plants do I need?

One per square metre, spaced 1m apart, gives a dense cover without crowding. Planting tighter costs more and does not close the gap much faster.

Will it survive frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy and suits cool temperate gardens, including districts that get regular winter frosts. Young plants still appreciate a mulched root zone through their first winter.

Can I grow it in shade?

Partial shade is fine and it will still flower, though less heavily and with a more open habit. Full sun gives the tightest mound and the best display.

Does it need pruning?

One light all over trim after the main flush each year. Skip it for a few years and the centre goes woody, which is hard to reverse once it happens.