Marmalade Bush

Marmalade Bush (Streptosolen jamesonii) earns its name honestly. Each flower opens pale yellow and deepens through apricot to burnt orange as it ages, so a plant in full flush carries every shade at once and reads like citrus marmalade from across the garden. It grows fast to about 2m tall and 2m wide, with an arching habit that suits the top of a wall or a bank far better than a formal bed.

Why you'll love it

• Three colours on the one bush. Yellow, apricot and orange sit together, because each flower changes shade as it ages.
• Fast enough to matter. It fills its 2m in two seasons in a warm garden, which is quick for a shrub that flowers this heavily.
• It arches and spills. Lax stems drape over retaining walls and down slopes, softening hard edges rather than sitting stiffly on top.
• Nectar birds and pollinators. Honeyeaters, bees and butterflies all work the flowers through the warm season.
• Heat, humidity and dry spells. All handled once it is established.

Where it works best

Retaining walls and slopes. Plant 1.5m apart along the top of a wall and let the stems spill over the face. On a bank, use the same spacing on a staggered grid.

Feature planting and mass colour. A single plant works as a warm toned feature near an entry. Massed at 1.5m, five or six read as one band of orange.

Pots and borders. A pot 400mm or wider suits it, and container growing holds it nearer 1.2m. Watch the water, since pots dry out fast in summer.

Growing Marmalade Bush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering; light shade gives greener growth and fewer flowers. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens. Light frost only, so cold inland districts, the tablelands and hard frosting southern gardens need a warm sheltered wall or a pot that can move under cover.

Soil. Free draining soil with compost worked through. It dislikes wet feet more than dry, so raise the bed on heavy clay and mulch to 75mm.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and again after the main flush keeps the colour coming.

Pruning. Cut it back by about a third after the main flowering. It flowers on new wood, so this is what drives the next display and stops the base going bare and twiggy.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are available. Tube stock is a small young plant, the value option for filling a whole bank. The 140mm pack of ten is the practical choice for a wall or a mass planting, covering about 15 metres of single row at 1.5m spacing.

Soft new growth can look limp after transit; water it, keep it out of hard sun for a day, then plant. Expect flowers in the first warm season and full size by the second. 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

• Designing a warm climate garden that holds up year round.
• Browse other plants for retaining walls and slopes.
• Compare the wider flowering plant range.
• See more plants that feed bees and butterflies.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it on a bank?

A metre and a half apart on a staggered grid. It spreads to about 2m, so this spacing lets the stems overlap into a continuous curtain of colour.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Marmalade Bush is in the nightshade family, which contains toxic species, so it is not one to plant where a pet chews foliage. A wall or bank keeps it out of reach.

Why has mine gone bare and woody at the base?

Almost always no pruning. Cut it back by a third straight after the main flush each year. Left alone it becomes a thin frame with flowers only at the tips.