Running Postman SE Victoria

Running Postman (Kennedia prostrata) is the native groundcover for the spots nothing else wants: dry banks, gravelly rockeries, exposed coastal soil. It creeps flat, barely 15cm high, and runs out to about 1.5m across. From late winter into summer it carries scarlet pea flowers along the stems. This is the south eastern Victorian provenance, well suited to southern gardens.

Why you'll love it

• It covers ground fast. A single plant runs to about 1.5m within a season or two, so a bank fills in quickly.
• Red flowers most gardeners have not seen. Scarlet pea flowers sit on the surface of the mat from late winter through spring, and honeyeaters work them over.
• Tough where it counts. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil, so it handles exposure that finishes softer groundcovers.
• Almost no maintenance. No pruning, and no feeding beyond a light native fertiliser. As a legume it fixes its own nitrogen.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 1m apart for full cover. At that spacing the runners knit together in one to two growing seasons and shade out most weed seed.

Rockeries, walls and slopes. It trails over rock and wall edges rather than mounding, which softens hard lines. On a slope the stems root down as they run and help hold soil in place.

Coastal gardens. Salt and wind do not trouble it, so it suits exposed verges and beach house paths where lawn will not hold.

Growing Running Postman in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering; light shade is tolerated but the mat opens up. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid to semi-arid gardens, and takes frost once established. Humid subtropical and tropical gardens are the weak point, where wet summers rot the crown.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Sandy, gravelly and poor soils all suit it, while heavy clay needs a raised bed or a mound. Keep phosphorus low, as with most natives.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. A light dose of low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring is plenty.

Pruning. None needed. Trim stray runners back to the edge of the bed in late spring, and cut a tired patch back to about 100mm to bring on fresh growth.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in tubes, so you are buying a young plant with a few short trailing stems rather than an instant mat. Tube stock is the right way to buy a groundcover: cheap enough to plant properly at 1m spacing, and quick to establish on a dry bank.

Plants travel packed upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Expect the runners to move within six to eight weeks of planting in warm weather, and full cover through the second season. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full groundcover range
• Native plants with red flowers
• Plants for retaining walls and slopes
• Shop Australian natives

Common questions

How many do I need to cover a bank?

At 1m spacing, about one plant per square metre. A 10 square metre bank takes ten tubes, which should read as continuous cover by the end of the second growing season.

Will it climb?

It prefers to run flat, but the stems will twine up through low shrubs and over rocks. Keep it 500mm clear of small plants you do not want covered.

Is it safe for pets?

We do not list it as pet friendly, because there is little published toxicity data for this species. Most animals show no interest in it, but supervise a puppy that chews foliage.

Does it handle frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy once established, which is why this southern provenance suits cold inland and tableland gardens as well as the coast.