Dwarf White Correa

Dwarf White Correa (Correa alba dwarf form) is a low, spreading native shrub that holds at roughly 600mm tall and a metre across, so it covers ground without ever growing up over a path or a window sill. The leaves are thick, grey green and softly felted, which is the build a plant needs to shrug off salt wind. Small white bells open through the cooler months, when honeyeaters have little else to work.

Why you'll love it

• Low and wide by nature. At about 600mm by 1m it fills a bed and stays there, so you are not trimming it back off the edging twice a year.
• A genuine coastal front line plant. Salt tolerant, wind tolerant and happy in sand, it holds up in positions that kill most flowering shrubs.
• Flowers in the quiet months. White bells through autumn and winter feed honeyeaters at the leanest time of year.
• Poor soil preferred. It grows on gravel, sand and thin unimproved ground, and would rather not be fed.

Where it works best

Mass planting and groundcover. Plant 60cm apart for a low massed border. Plants touch within about two seasons at that spacing and shade out most weed seedlings, which is where the maintenance saving comes from.

Coastal gardens. Use it in the exposed strip between the house and the fence where salt burn shows first, with taller natives behind and grasses through it.

Borders and small gardens. Its restrained height suits a courtyard, a nature strip or a narrow bed under a window, where a full sized correa would need constant cutting.

Growing Dwarf White Correa in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the densest growth and heaviest flowering, though it takes light shade. It is frost hardy and suits warm temperate, cool temperate, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens. Humid tropical gardens and the hot arid inland are outside its range.

Soil. Sandy, gravelly and poor soils are ideal. Drainage matters more than fertility, so on heavy clay plant on a raised mound and keep 75mm of mulch clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep water weekly through the first summer, then very little. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser once in early spring, or skip feeding on decent soil.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after the main flowering flush, every year. Correas do not reliably reshoot from bare old wood, so a hard rescue cut often fails. Little and often is the rule.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in four sizes: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six and 250mm in packs of three. Tube and 250mm run on backorder at times, so check availability before planning a large planting. Tubes are the value option for a bank or a verge, while the 200mm and 250mm plants are already branched and cover ground in their first season.

Correas travel well, though some leaf drop after a few days in a box is normal, with new growth following within a month in mild weather. 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 full Australian native shrub range
• Plants that handle salt wind and sandy soil
• Native plants that bring honeyeaters into the garden
• The full sized White Correa at 1.5m

Common questions

How is this different from ordinary Correa alba?

Same species, smaller frame. The standard form reaches about 1.5m tall and wide, while this dwarf selection holds around 600mm tall and spreads to a metre. Choose the dwarf where you want cover rather than a screen.

How far apart should I plant it?

Sixty centimetres apart for a low massed border or groundcover. That gives closed cover in roughly two seasons without crowding, and keeps enough air moving to avoid damp foliage problems.

Will it survive frost?

Yes, it is frost hardy and copes with cool temperate winters once established. Young plants facing their first winter in a frosty district appreciate a sheltered spot.