Fine Leaf Myoporum

Fine Leaf Myoporum (Myoporum parvifolium 'Fine Leaf') is the Australian native groundcover to use when you need bare soil covered fast and cheaply. It sits only about 15cm high but spreads to 2.5m across, laying down a dense mat of narrow green foliage studded with small white flowers that bees and butterflies work through the warmer months. On a slope or a retaining wall it does what mulch cannot: it holds the soil in place.

Why you'll love it

• Fast cover from few plants. One plant covers around 2.5m across, so a difficult bank fills in from a modest order.
• It stays flat. At 15cm high it never needs edging away from paths and will not block a view or a window.
• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant, heat tolerant and happy in poor soil, from cool temperate gardens through to arid inland ones.
• Roots as it runs. Trailing stems strike where they touch soil, which is what makes it hold a slope against heavy rain.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 1m apart for full groundcover. At that spacing the mats meet inside a season in a warm garden, and it is far cheaper than planting closer.

Retaining walls and slopes. Set plants along the top of a wall to spill over the face, or across a bank at the same 1m spacing to bind loose soil while the roots knit together.

Rockeries and coastal gardens. It threads between rocks without swamping them, and salt tolerance puts an exposed beachside bank within its range.

Growing fine leaf myoporum in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest mat; light shade thins it and encourages bare runners. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens, and it is frost hardy once established. The wet tropics are too humid for it.

Soil. Drainage matters far more than fertility. Sandy, gravelly and poor soils all suit it, and the one thing it will not accept is ground that stays wet. On clay, mound the planting rows first.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer to establish the runners, then only in long dry spells. A light native fertiliser in early spring is plenty, and too much nitrogen makes it leggy.

Pruning. Shear the whole planting back by about a third in early spring if it starts to build up woody, bare centres. It reshoots readily and the trim keeps the mat tight to the ground.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten and 200mm in packs of six. Tube stock is the standard choice for banks and large beds, because you need volume rather than size and it catches up within a season. The 140mm and 200mm plants give a wider starting mat where you want cover sooner.

Groundcovers arrive looking smaller than the space they will fill, and trailing stems may be bent from packing. Both are normal. Expect runners to extend within four to six weeks in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Choosing the right groundcover for your garden
• Compare the full groundcover range.
• See what suits a bank in plants for retaining walls and slopes.
• Browse more Australian native plants.

Common questions

How many plants do I need?

At 1m spacing, allow one plant per square metre. A 10 square metre bank takes ten plants, which is why tube stock in bulk is the usual way to buy it.

Is it safe around pets and livestock?

Myoporum foliage is toxic to grazing animals, so it is not a plant for a paddock, a horse yard or an area where stock can reach it. In a household garden, site it where a dog inclined to chew plants cannot get at it.

How fast does it cover?

In a warm garden with water through the first summer, expect close to full cover within twelve months from 1m spacing. Cool temperate and inland gardens take a second season.