Blue Gem Coastal Rosemary

Blue Gem Coastal Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa 'Blue Gem') is the hedging native for sites that punish other plants. It holds a naturally rounded 1.5m by 1.5m shape, carries soft blue to mauve flowers through most of the year, and takes salt spray, wind, poor soil and drought without complaint. It is also not toxic to cats or dogs.

Why you'll love it

• It shapes itself. The habit is naturally dense and rounded, so a light trim keeps a hedge tidy.
• Flowers nearly all year. Small blue and mauve flowers appear in flushes across the seasons, heaviest in spring.
• Built for the coast. Salt tolerant, wind tolerant and happy in sandy or poor soil, so exposed boundaries do not burn it.
• Pet friendly and bee friendly. Not toxic to cats or dogs, and the flowers feed bees and butterflies.
• Drought tolerant once down. After two seasons it survives on rainfall in most temperate gardens.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 80cm apart in a single row. At that spacing they close into a solid 1.2m to 1.5m hedge in about two seasons without shading each other out at the base.

Coastal and poolside gardens. It takes salt spray directly and drops little litter, so it suits a pool surround better than most shrubs.

Mass planting and edging. Set 80cm apart in drifts on banks, verges and dry front gardens. Kept trimmed to 60cm it also works as a low informal border.

Growing Blue Gem Coastal Rosemary in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth and the most flower. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens, and is frost hardy once established. Humid tropical gardens are harder on it, so drainage matters even more there.

Soil. Sharp drainage is the one real requirement, and sandy or poor soils suit it. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound with coarse compost worked through, because wet feet in winter causes most sudden losses.

Water and feed. Water deeply once a week through the first summer, then step back. Feed a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring. Rich feeding produces soft growth that flops and opens the middle of the plant.

Pruning. Trim lightly two or three times a year, taking only soft tips. Westringia reshoots poorly from bare old wood, so never cut back into leafless stems hoping for recovery.

What to expect when it arrives

Six sizes are grown: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten, 180mm and 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, and single 300mm plants. Tube stock is the value option for a long hedge and catches up quickly, since westringia grows fast when young. The 250mm and 300mm plants already carry their rounded shape and give a hedge line in the first year.

Plants travel upright and settle quickly. Expect a fortnight of stillness, then new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather. They are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Planning a coastal garden that survives salt and wind
• Browse more salt tolerant coastal plants
• Compare options in our best hedging plants range
• See other plants safe for cats and dogs

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

Eighty centimetres apart in a single row. Closer planting does not close the gap faster and crowds the bases, which is where westringia hedges usually thin out.

Can I cut it back hard if it gets leggy?

No. It reshoots poorly from bare wood, so a hard cut into leafless stems often kills the plant. Trim lightly and often instead.

Is it safe around dogs and cats?

Yes. Westringia is not toxic to cats or dogs, one reason it is a common choice for pool surrounds and front gardens where pets roam.

Why did my established plant suddenly die?

Almost always root rot from wet soil, not drought. Westringia takes months of dry weather but only weeks of waterlogging, so raise the bed on clay.