Blue Wax Flower

Blue Wax Flower (Philotheca nodiflora) is a Western Australian shrub that flowers hard on almost no water. It makes a neat mound around 1m tall and 1m wide, smothered in small starry blooms in mauve to soft pink, and the fine foliage releases a clean citrus scent when you brush past. If your garden is hot, sandy and rarely watered, this is the plant that keeps performing.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers en masse, not in ones and twos. The starry mauve and pink blooms cover the whole plant rather than sitting at the tips, so one shrub reads as a block of colour.
• Aromatic foliage. The narrow leaves are scented, which makes it worth planting beside a path, a seat or a doorway.
• Serious dry country credentials. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant and happy in poor soil.
• The right size for a small garden. One metre each way is manageable in a courtyard, a rockery or a large pot.
• A long season for bees and butterflies. It is a working nectar plant, not a brief display.

Where it works best

Rockeries and dry slopes. Sharp drainage between rocks is what it wants, and the mounded habit softens hard edges.

Mass planting. Set plants 80cm apart for a continuous drift. The mounds meet within two seasons, giving an unbroken sheet of flower.

Borders and pots. It holds a tidy front line along a driveway without a hedge trimmer, and a pot 400mm or wider suits it if the mix drains freely.

Growing Blue Wax Flower in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, and plenty of it. It belongs in Mediterranean, warm temperate and arid to semi-arid gardens. Frost tolerance is light only, so hard frosting inland and tableland gardens need a warm sheltered aspect.

Soil. The soil must be very free draining. Sandy and gravelly ground is ideal and poor fertility is no obstacle. On clay, build a raised sandy mound rather than improving the hole, because wet feet in winter kills it.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then let it fend for itself. Feed once in early spring with a low phosphorus native fertiliser. Overfeeding and overwatering both give soft growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after flowering, taking no more than a third of the new growth. Do not cut into bare old wood, which it will not reshoot from. Light trimming keeps the mound dense for years.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is grown in tube stock and is currently sold on backorder, so check the dispatch estimate at checkout. Tubes are young single stemmed plants, well under knee height, and for a waterwise native that is the size that establishes best: small roots adapt to your soil rather than sulking in a ball of imported mix.

They travel well, since there is little top growth to bruise. Plant promptly, water in once, then keep the water up sparingly through the first summer. Expect a season of quiet root work before the first real flush of flower. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the wider Australian native range
• Plants suited to rockeries and dry slopes
• Our waterwise garden guide for dry districts
• Compare all drought tolerant plants

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a mass planting?

Eighty centimetres apart gives a continuous drift within about two seasons. Space them further if you want each mound to read as a separate shrub in a rockery.

Why did my wax flower die over winter?

Nine times out of ten it is drainage, not cold. It will not tolerate soil that stays wet, so on clay it needs a raised sandy mound rather than an improved hole.

Can I grow it in a pot, and will it handle frost?

A pot 400mm or wider with a free draining native mix suits it, provided it never stands in a saucer. Frost tolerance is light only, so it is not a plant for hard frosting gardens.