Cushion Bush

Cushion Bush (Scleranthus biflorus) is the Australian native that looks like moss and behaves like a succulent. It builds a bright green undulating cushion only about 10cm high and 60cm across, with a surface so fine and dense it reads as a solid living form rather than a collection of leaves. In a rockery, a gravel garden or a shallow bowl it does something no other groundcover quite does.

Why you'll love it

• A sculptural surface, not just cover. The cushion mounds and rolls over rocks and edges, giving the soft green forms usually seen only in moss gardens.
• Tougher than it looks. Frost hardy, wind tolerant and salt tolerant, so it holds condition through cold winters and exposed coastal sites.
• Very low maintenance. No pruning schedule, no feeding routine, no staking. It needs drainage and light, little else.
• Stays where you put it. At 60cm wide it spreads politely and never runs into neighbouring plants or lawn.

Where it works best

Rockeries and gravel gardens. Tuck plants between stones and let the cushions swell over the edges. Coarse gravel mulch keeps the foliage dry and shows the form off.

Groundcover and edging. Plant 30cm apart for a continuous mossy carpet. Along a path edge the same spacing gives a soft green ribbon that needs no trimming.

Pots and shallow bowls. A single plant fills a 200mm bowl and mounds over the rim within a season, which suits courtyard and Japanese influenced planting.

Growing Cushion Bush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade, with morning sun ideal in hotter districts. It belongs in cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens. Humid tropical and subtropical summers are its limit, because muggy air rots patches out of the centre, so northern gardeners should treat it as a raised pot subject.

Soil. Sharp drainage is the whole game. Sandy and gravelly soils are ideal, and on clay you should build a raised bed with coarse sand and grit rather than adding compost. Gravel mulch, never bark.

Water and feed. Water twice weekly through the first summer, then only in genuine dry spells. Avoid overhead watering in humid weather. Feed lightly with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring if growth looks tired.

Pruning. None required. If a patch browns out, scrape it away and the surrounding cushion closes over the gap within a season. Sweep leaf litter off the surface, because anything sitting on top smothers it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube stock, a 140mm pack of ten, and a 200mm pack of six. Tubes are small starter cushions and the economical way to carpet an area. The pack of ten covers roughly one square metre at 30cm spacing, and the 200mm pack of six gives larger, already mounded plants for immediate effect.

Plants travel packed upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Expect little visible change for a month, then steady outward growth through the first cool season. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Designing a Japanese influenced garden here
• Browse plants for rockeries
• Compare the full groundcover range
• Shop Australian native plants

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Thirty centimetres apart for a continuous carpet, closing over within two seasons. If you want each plant to read as a separate cushion, stretch that to 50cm.

Can I walk on it?

No. It handles the occasional accidental step but is not a lawn substitute, and regular foot traffic flattens and kills the cushion. Use steppers through it instead.

Why has part of the cushion turned brown?

Almost always moisture sitting in the crown, from humid weather, overhead watering or organic mulch. Improve drainage, switch to gravel mulch, and remove the dead patch so the rest grows across.

Does it flower?

Only insignificantly. The tiny green flowers disappear into the foliage, so buy it for form and texture.