Dwarf Babingtonia

Dwarf Babingtonia (Babingtonia virgata 'Nana') is an Australian native shrub that stays at a genuinely useful 1m tall and 1m wide, with fine needle like foliage and a smothering of small white flowers. It is one of the very few plants that shrugs off both drought and wet feet, so it works in a dry rockery and equally well in the damp low corner of a bed.

Why you'll love it

• Fine textured and low. The soft narrow foliage reads completely differently to the broad leaved shrubs around it, and at 1m it never blocks a view.
• Dry or damp, it copes. Drought tolerant once established and tolerant of wet feet, rare in one plant and useful where drainage is uneven.
• A white flower show. Masses of tiny blooms cover the bush and bring in native bees, butterflies and small insect eating birds.
• It does not need good soil. Poor and compacted ground is fine, so it suits new builds where the topsoil left with the builder.

Where it works best

Low hedging and edging. Plant 60cm apart for a low informal hedge. The bushes close over within two seasons and hold a soft 1m high line without the clipping a formal hedge demands.

Mass planting. The same 60cm spacing gives about three plants per square metre and continuous cover. On a slope or a swale it holds soil and handles run off after storms.

Rockeries and pots. The fine foliage suits a rock garden, and a pot 400mm or wider holds one comfortably beside a door.

Growing Dwarf Babingtonia in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the densest habit and heaviest flowering, though it accepts part shade with a looser form. It is at home in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, but takes light frost only, so cold southern gardens and frosting tablelands sit outside its range.

Soil. Not fussy: it grows in poor, sandy and clay soils, and unlike most natives it tolerates damp ground, which makes it useful beside a downpipe or in a rain garden. Mulch 75mm deep, clear of the stem.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer to get the roots down, then only in prolonged dry spells. Feed once in early spring with a low phosphorus native fertiliser, since rich products can burn the roots.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density, then shear lightly after flowering. It takes a light trim well but reshoots reluctantly from bare wood, so do not let it go leggy.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown for mass planting, so it is sold in packs: 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six. The 140mm plants are younger and the value choice for a long edge, taking a season longer to close over. The 200mm plants are bushier on arrival and suit shorter runs and pots.

Both sizes travel well because there is little to break. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order $300 before delivery. Expect new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the full Australian native shrub range
• Browse plants chosen for mass planting
• Choosing the right edging plants
• Plants that thrive in poor soil

Common questions

How many plants do I need for a low hedge?

At 60cm apart you need about seventeen plants for every ten metres, close to two packs of ten. For bed cover, the same spacing gives roughly three plants per square metre.

Will it grow in a wet spot?

Yes, and this is one of its real strengths. The low corner of a lawn or a swale that stays damp after rain suits it, though permanently standing water is still too much.

Can I clip it into a formal shape?

It takes a light shear well and holds a soft rounded form, but avoid cutting into thick bare wood. Trim little and often rather than hard and rarely.