Ozbreed Plants

How to choose an Ozbreed plant

Start with the job, because Ozbreed names its plants for what they do. For a low shrub, the westringias: Mundi™ Westringia fruticosa 'WES05' PBR stays about 40cm high and spreads to 1.2m, Grey Box™ 'WES04' PBR makes an 80cm ball and Naringa™ Westringia hybrid 'WES01' PBR hedges to about 1m. For strappy foliage, the lomandras: Tanika® Lomandra longifolia 'LM300' PBR is the fine-leafed 60cm standard and Nyalla® 'LM400' PBR is a little larger and bluer. For a screen, Straight and Narrow™ Syzygium australe 'SAN01' PBR Intended reaches 5m while staying about 1m wide, Pinnacle™ 'AATS' PBR is nearly as slim, and Dense Fence™ Viburnum odoratissimum 'VOC1' PBR gives a 4m exotic hedge. Slim™ Callistemon viminalis 'CV01' PBR is the narrow bottlebrush for a 3m screen with red flowers.

Where Ozbreed plants work

These lines were selected for the places ordinary plants struggle: verges, car parks, school grounds and new subdivisions with compacted soil and little water, which is why they suit a low maintenance home garden so well. The westringias and lomandras handle coastal wind, frost to about minus 5 degrees and long dry spells. The lilly pillies and viburnums are privacy hedges for a narrow boundary, and the groundcovers, Yareena™ myoporum, Aussie Rambler™ pigface and Flat Mat™ star jasmine, hold banks and fill wide beds. The natives suit every mainland state; the Encore azaleas and the nandinas prefer cooler gardens. Compare the westringias with our coastal rosemary range and the screening lines with our lilly pilly collection.

Planting and spacing

Mass plant at the spacing the mature width suggests, a little closer for a quick finish: Tanika and Nyalla at 60cm to 80cm, Mundi™ westringia at 1m, Grey Box and Naringa at 60cm to 80cm for a hedge. Straight and Narrow and Pinnacle go 80cm to 1m apart for a solid screen, Dense Fence and Slim 1m, groundcovers 1m to 1.5m. Plant from tubes or 140mm pots into soil loosened to twice the pot width, water in with a seaweed tonic, and mulch. Tubestock establishes fastest in autumn and spring.

Care basics

Water twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Feed natives with a low phosphorus fertiliser in spring and the exotics with a complete one. Clip westringias after flowering, lightly and often. Lomandras need no cutting for years; when a clump looks tired, shear it to 15cm in late winter. Trim lilly pilly screens twice a year; the Ozbreed syzygiums were selected for psyllid resistance, so new growth stays clean without spraying. Our lomandra care guide covers the strappy lines in more depth.

Common questions

What do the codes and PBR mean on an Ozbreed plant?

Tanika or Mundi is the trade name. The code in single quotes, 'LM300' or 'WES05', is the registered cultivar name, and PBR means the variety is protected under the Plant Breeder's Rights Act, so only licensed growers may propagate it. PBR Intended means the application is lodged.

Are these genuine Ozbreed varieties?

Every line here is on Ozbreed's own trade-name list. Lookalike lilly pillies such as Resilience, Backyard Bliss, Aussie Southern and Aussie Gem are not Ozbreed plants, so they are not in this collection.

Which Ozbreed plant makes the narrowest screen?

Straight and Narrow, about 1m wide at 5m tall. Pinnacle is 1.2m wide, Slim bottlebrush 1.3m, and Thin Red™ photinia about 1m.

Do Ozbreed lomandras and westringias need much water?

No. Once established, a season or so after planting, they cope on rainfall in most of mainland Australia. Water in heatwaves and through the first two summers.