Little Con Lomandra

Little Con Lomandra (Lomandra confertifolia 'Little Con') is the smallest of the tough native tufting plants, holding a neat green dome about 35cm tall and 40cm wide. It takes drought, frost, poor soil and coastal salt without complaint, and it never needs the annual cut back that larger strappy plants demand. When a border or a rockery needs something that genuinely looks after itself, this is the one.

Why you'll love it

• It stays genuinely small. A 35cm by 40cm mound keeps its shape year after year, so it will not outgrow a narrow bed.
• Four kinds of toughness at once. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, happy in poor soil and tolerant of coastal salt. Very few plants tick all four.
• Australian native and pet safe. Native to eastern Australia and not toxic to cats or dogs.
• Almost no maintenance. Evergreen, self tidying, nothing to deadhead and no yearly haircut required.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 40cm apart for dense cover, around six plants per square metre. At that spacing the domes touch within a season or two and read as one continuous low sweep.

Borders and edging. Its size makes it one of the few natives that works as a true edging plant. A row at 40cm centres holds a clean line along a path without any clipping.

Slopes, walls and rockeries. Fibrous roots grip loose soil, so it suits batters and the top of a retaining wall where irrigation is unreliable and the soil thin.

Growing Little Con Lomandra in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the tightest clump; part shade works with a looser habit. It grows across tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, and being frost hardy it handles tableland and southern winters. Coastal exposure, including salt spray, is fine.

Soil. Anything that drains. It tolerates poor, sandy and gravelly ground that defeats most ornamentals, and clay works if the bed is mounded. Mulch 50mm deep and keep it out of the crown, because a buried crown is one of the few ways to lose this plant.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer to settle the roots, then only in prolonged dry spells. A light native fertiliser in early spring improves colour, but it grows perfectly well without.

Pruning. None required. Unlike the larger lomandras this form does not need an annual haircut. If a clump looks tired after several years, cut it to 15cm in early spring and it reshoots from the base.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes as tube stock or as 140mm plants in packs of ten. Tubes are young single tufts, the sensible choice for a large mass planting where you need a lot of them. The 140mm packs arrive with a fuller clump already formed and close a bed roughly a season sooner.

Both sizes travel well. The foliage is fine but wiry, so a flattened clump lifts again within a week and is not a fault. Expect little change for the first month while roots establish, then a full sized clump inside two seasons. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A complete guide to growing lomandra
• See the whole lomandra range
• Choosing edging plants for a garden bed
• Browse Australian native plants

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Forty centimetres apart for a dense mass planting, or the same spacing in a single row for an edge. Closer than that and the clumps crowd each other without covering the ground any faster.

Does it need cutting back every year?

No. This is a compact form that keeps itself tidy. A hard cut to 15cm every three or four years is enough if a clump thins out.

Will it cope with frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy and grows well in cool temperate and tableland gardens, and the foliage stays green through winter rather than browning off.