Rondeletia ‘Sweet Caprice’

Rondeletia 'Sweet Caprice' (Rondeletia 'Sweet Caprice') is a compact evergreen shrub carrying dense clusters of soft pink tubular flowers with a genuine perfume. It holds a rounded 1.5m tall by 1.5m wide, which makes it one of the few properly fragrant plants that will form a low hedge without being cut back every few weeks.

Why you'll love it

• Fragrance you notice from the path. The pink flower clusters carry a sweet scent that drifts, so plant it near a door, a window or a seat.
• Hedges without a fight. A natural 1.5m by 1.5m ball means a low hedge holds its shape with a trim after flowering rather than constant shearing.
• Built for humid heat. Comfortable in tropical and subtropical gardens, where many fragrant exotics sulk or spot.
• Drought tolerant, and good for pollinators. After the first two summers it copes with dry spells, and bees and butterflies work the flowers steadily.

Where it works best

Low hedging. Plant 1m apart in a single row. At that spacing the plants meet and thicken into a continuous flowering wall in about two seasons.

Screening at courtyard scale. Be realistic about height: 1.5m screens a bin area, a pool pump or a seating nook, not a two storey outlook. Stretching it taller only opens the base.

Feature planting and pots. A single plant makes a neat scented mound beside an entry, and a pot 500mm or wider holds one for several years before it needs root pruning.

Growing Rondeletia 'Sweet Caprice' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering and the densest habit, though it accepts a couple of hours of shade. This is a tropical, subtropical and warm temperate plant, and it is frost tender rather than merely frost sensitive. In gardens that frost hard, grow it in a large pot that moves under cover for winter, or choose a hardier hedge.

Soil. Well drained soil enriched with compost. It is not fussy about type, but it will not sit in waterlogged ground, so raise the bed on heavy clay and mulch 75mm deep clear of the stem.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first two summers, then only in extended dry weather. A controlled release fertiliser in early spring and late summer keeps the flowering heavy.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density low down, then trim lightly straight after the main flowering flush.

What to expect when it arrives

This Rondeletia is grown and sold as tube stock, a young single stemmed plant over a well developed root plug. For a hedge that is the sensible buy: the cost per metre stays reasonable, and a tube planted in spring usually catches a much larger plant within two seasons.

Tubes are light, so they travel upright and arrive in good order, though a little leaf droop for the first few days is normal. Plant within a few days, water in well, and expect new growth inside four to six weeks with the first real flowering in the second year. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant and maintain a healthy hedge
• Browse fragrant plants for the garden
• Compare screening plants from 1m to 2m
• See the wider hedging range

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. Each plant reaches about 1.5m across, so a metre gives enough overlap for a solid face while leaving room to water and feed properly.

Will it survive frost?

It is frost tender, so a hard frost will burn the foliage and can kill young plants outright. Gardens that frost regularly should grow it in a pot that shifts under cover for winter.

Can I keep it lower than 1.5m?

Yes. Trimming after each flowering flush holds it at around a metre, which suits a border or a path edge. Trim later and you remove the buds for the next round.