Rhaphiolepis ‘Springtime’

Rhaphiolepis 'Springtime' is the flowering hedge for gardeners who want colour without a maintenance schedule. Rhaphiolepis indica 'Springtime' settles at about 2.2m tall and 1.8m wide, holds dark green leaves year round, and carries soft pink flower clusters through late winter and spring, followed by blue-black berries the birds strip. It takes heat, salt, drought and frost in its stride.

Why you'll love it

• Two months of pink. Massed clusters from late winter into spring, on a shrub that stays tidy the other ten months.
• Genuinely low maintenance. One trim a year after flowering is the whole job.
• Tolerant of almost everything. Frost hardy, drought, heat and salt tolerant, and untroubled by poor soil.
• It feeds the garden. Bees and butterflies work the flowers, and the berries bring small birds in.
• The right size for a suburban block. At just over 2m it screens a fence line without becoming a tree problem.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row. Canopies knit together in two seasons, and the finished hedge holds anywhere between 1.2m and 2m.

Mass planting. In a large bed or driveway, set plants 1m apart in a staggered grid so the planting reads as one mound.

Borders and coastal gardens. Left untrimmed it makes a rounded 1.5m border shrub, and its salt tolerance suits front line coastal blocks.

Growing Rhaphiolepis 'Springtime' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering; part shade works but costs you flowers. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens. In wet tropical gardens humidity encourages leaf spot, so it is not the pick there.

Soil. Almost any soil that drains, including sand, clay loam and poor ground. On wet heavy clay, plant on a low mound and mulch 75mm deep, keeping mulch off the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper to fortnightly and eventually to rainfall alone in temperate gardens. A controlled release fertiliser after flowering is all it wants.

Pruning. Trim as soon as flowering finishes: next season's buds form on summer growth, so an autumn cut costs you the display. It reshoots from old wood, so a tired hedge can be cut back hard.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: tube stock, and 140mm pots sold in packs of ten. Tubes are young and single stemmed, the economical way to plant a long hedge. The 140mm plants are already branched and read as solid sooner.

Both grades travel well packed upright. Expect three to four quiet weeks after planting while roots move out, then new growth. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order $300 before delivery, and covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant and maintain a hedge
• Compare our best hedging plants
• Screening plants in the 2m to 4m range
• Salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. Any closer and plants compete for water and light without closing the hedge faster.

How fast does it grow?

Moderately. Expect 300mm to 400mm a year in a warm garden with reasonable water, so a tube planted hedge reads as solid in about three seasons and a 140mm hedge in two.

Can I keep it below 1.5m?

Yes. One firm trim a year after flowering holds it at 1.2m to 1.5m, and it stays furnished at the base rather than going leggy.