Syzygium 'Cascade' (Cascade Lilly Pilly)

Cascade Lilly Pilly (Syzygium 'Cascade') is the lilly pilly people buy for the flowers as much as the screen. It grows to about 3.5m tall and only 2m wide, with arching weeping stems and heavy flushes of pink powderpuff flowers through the warm months. That narrow width is the point: a full screen in a bed most lilly pillies would burst out of.

Why you'll love it

• Pink flowers, not just green. Powderpuff blooms cover the canopy in warm weather, followed by berries the birds work through.
• Narrow enough for a side boundary. At 2m wide it screens a fence line without pushing into a path or a driveway.
• A softer screen. The weeping habit means the foliage arches rather than sitting flat and clipped, even when trimmed.
• Built for the coast. Salt tolerant, wind tolerant and comfortable in humid air, so it suits gardens that punish softer plants.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 1m apart in a single row. Closer spacing does not close the gap any faster and makes watering harder.

Hedging. The same 1m spacing holds a clipped hedge anywhere between 1.5m and 3m, depending on how often you trim.

Pots and containers. A pot 500mm or wider suits it, and container growing holds it under 2m. Watering becomes the job you cannot skip.

Growing Cascade Lilly Pilly in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth and heaviest flowering; part shade works but the screen stays looser. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland districts and hard frosting southern gardens should look elsewhere.

Soil. Not fussy about type, but it wants drainage. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound and work compost through the whole bed. Mulch 75mm deep, clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off. A controlled release native fertiliser in early spring and late summer keeps the foliage colour up.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density, then trim after each flowering flush. It reshoots from old wood, so a hedge left too long can be cut back hard.

What to expect when it arrives

This listing is a single ex ground size, at 5m to 5.5m. Ex ground plants are grown in open ground and left untrimmed, so they carry more height than the 3.5m a clipped garden specimen settles at. They are lifted with a root ball rather than raised in a pot, and sold to order in the cooler months.

Have the hole prepared and machinery on hand for delivery day. Delivered Australia wide, with advanced and large stock freighted at cost and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Expect a quiet six to eight weeks while the roots re-establish, then a strong flush. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete guide to growing Cascade Lilly Pilly
• Browse the full lilly pilly range
• Compare hedging and screening plants
• See the rest of the ex ground stock

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

One metre apart in a single row. At that spacing the weeping canopies knit together and the screen reads as solid, with no thin band along the bottom.

Can I keep it at 2m?

Yes. Two or three trims a year hold it between 1.5m and 3m, and because it shoots from old wood it stays furnished at the base rather than lifting into bare stems.

Will it grow in a coastal garden?

It is salt tolerant and wind tolerant, so a coastal block suits it. Give young plants a season of shelter before exposing them to a windy site.

What does an ex ground plant look like on arrival?

Large, field grown and heavy, with a wrapped root ball instead of a pot. Some leaf drop after transit is normal rather than a fault, and the plant refurnishes once the roots hold.