Aussie Box Westringia

Aussie Box Westringia (Westringia 'Aussie Box') is the native answer to English box. It holds a tight mound of fine grey green foliage at about 1m tall and 1m wide, clips as cleanly as buxus, and carries small white flowers in flushes through much of the year. Unlike box it shrugs off salt wind, poor soil and dry spells.

Why you'll love it

• Clips like box, lives like a native. Two or three light trims a year hold a crisp ball or low hedge, and it reshoots from bare wood after a harder cut.
• Built for hard sites. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt and wind tolerant, and content in poor sandy soil where other hedges sulk.
• Flowers for most of the year. Small white flowers appear in repeat flushes, and bees and butterflies work them steadily.
• It stays the size you bought it for. At roughly 1m by 1m it suits a border, a pot or a low hedge without constant cutting back.

Where it works best

Low hedging and edging. Plant 60cm apart in a single row. At that spacing the plants knit within two seasons and stay furnished right down to the base.

Topiary and shaping. Fine leaves and dense branching take a ball, cube or cone well. Start shaping while the plant is young rather than trying to correct a sprawl later.

Coastal gardens and pots. Salt laden wind does not burn the foliage, so exposed front gardens suit it. A pot 400mm or wider holds a clipped specimen for years.

Growing Aussie Box Westringia in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth and the heaviest flowering, and part shade leaves it looser. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens, and takes frost once established.

Soil. Drainage matters far more than fertility. Sandy and gravelly ground is ideal. On clay, plant on a raised mound and work coarse compost through the bed.

Water and feed. Deep water weekly through the first summer, then it can largely run on rainfall in most districts. One application of a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring is enough; rich feeding only makes soft growth.

Pruning. Trim lightly after each growth flush for a formal shape. Because it shoots from old wood, a leggy or neglected plant can be cut back hard in spring and will refurnish.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tube stock and in packs: ten 140mm pots, six 200mm pots or three 250mm pots. Tubes are the value choice for a long hedge run and take roughly a season longer to close. The 200mm and 250mm plants arrive already bushy and give a usable low hedge sooner.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Expect a quiet few weeks after planting, then new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete westringia care guide
• Browse Australian native shrubs
• Compare hedging plants by height
• Salt tolerant plants for coastal blocks

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a low hedge?

Space plants 60cm apart. Tighter crowds the roots without closing the line any faster, and wider leaves visible gaps at the base for an extra season.

Is it a genuine replacement for English box?

For a low clipped hedge in a warm, dry or coastal garden, yes. The leaf is finer and greyer than box, and it handles heat, salt and drought far better.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Yes. Use a pot at least 400mm wide with free draining mix, water once the top 50mm dries out, and trim two or three times a year to hold the shape.