Baeckea virgata ‘Compacta’

Dwarf Baeckea (Babingtonia virgata 'Compacta', still widely sold as Baeckea virgata) is the native answer to a low clipped hedge. It builds a dense rounded bush around 1m tall and 1m wide, clothed in fine aromatic foliage, then covers itself in small white flowers through the warmer months. It takes a trim as well as any exotic hedging shrub and asks for far less water.

Why you'll love it

• A low hedge that stays low. At about 1m by 1m it holds a bed edge at knee to hip height without constant cutting back.
• Fine textured and soft. The needle like leaves give a lighter look than box or lilly pilly, and release a clean scent when brushed.
• A native that feeds wildlife. Masses of small white flowers bring in native bees, butterflies and small nectar feeding birds.
• Drought and salt tolerant. It handles dry spells and coastal exposure, so it suits front gardens and beachside blocks.

Where it works best

Low hedging. Plant 60cm apart in a single row for a hedge that closes over in two seasons. That spacing gives each plant room to fill out from the base rather than stretching upward for light.

Borders, mass planting and pots. Use the same 60cm spacing to frame a native bed or cover a slope, giving a fine textured mat that suppresses weeds. A single plant in a 400mm pot suits an entry, and it takes light shaping into a ball.

Growing Dwarf Baeckea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the densest growth and heaviest flowering. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and it is humidity tolerant, which many fine leaved shrubs are not. It takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland districts, the tablelands and cold southern gardens sit outside its range.

Soil. Free draining is the requirement. It is happy in sandy, gravelly and poor ground, but it resents sitting wet. On clay, mound the bed and open it up with coarse compost.

Water and feed. Deep water twice a week through the first summer, then taper to occasional soaks. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, because standard garden fertilisers are too rich and can burn the roots.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density low down, then trim lightly after the main flowering flush, taking no more than a third of the growth. It is slow to recover from a cut into bare wood, so stay in the green.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube stock, 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six. Tubes and 140mm plants are the value option for a long hedge run and close over about a season later than the 200mm plants, which arrive already branched. Tube stock is currently on backorder.

Fine foliage sheds a little in transit and may look dusty on arrival, which is normal. Water it in well, keep it damp for a fortnight, then expect new tip growth within four to six weeks in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the Australian native shrub range
• Compare hedging and screening plants
• Native plants that attract birds
• Designing a native garden for wildlife

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

Sixty centimetres apart in a single row. Each plant spreads to about a metre, so at that spacing the canopies overlap and the hedge reads as solid from the second season.

Can I keep it lower than a metre?

Yes. Two light trims a year hold it at 60cm to 80cm comfortably. Keep every cut within the leafy growth, because it is slow to reshoot from bare interior wood.

Is it the same plant as Baeckea virgata?

It is. The species was reclassified as Babingtonia virgata and both names remain in trade. 'Compacta' is the dwarf selection, so it stays near a metre rather than the three metres the straight species can reach.