White Pratia

White Pratia (Lobelia pedunculata, still widely sold as Pratia pedunculata) is a flat, creeping native that carpets the ground at 5cm tall, each plant spreading to a metre across. Through the warmer months the fine green mat is sprinkled with small white star flowers that bees work steadily. It is the classic plant for gaps between pavers and steppers: it takes light foot traffic and asks for almost nothing.

Why you'll love it

• A living carpet. At 5cm tall it fills gaps and softens hard edges without ever blocking a path.
• Walkable, within reason. It shrugs off light foot traffic that most groundcovers cannot.
• White stars for months. Massed tiny flowers through the warm season, visited by bees and butterflies.
• A frost hardy native. From south-eastern Australia, fully frost hardy and equally content in subtropical humidity.
• Loves the damp spots. It tolerates wet feet, so the low corner that stays moist suits it.

Where it works best

Between pavers and steppers. Plant divisions 25cm apart in the gaps and let the runners do the joinery.

Mass planting as a no mow green. On a small scale it gives a quick, even carpet that reads like moss from a distance. It is a picture, not a play surface.

Rockeries, edges and walls. It seams rockery joints, tidies bed edges and spills a soft green fringe over low retaining walls.

Growing White Pratia in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade provided moisture holds. It performs across cool temperate, warm temperate and subtropical gardens, through frost and humidity alike.

Soil. Moist is the operative word. It handles heavy and even soggy ground, but will not forgive baked dry soil. It is not a drought plant.

Water and feed. Keep it damp until the mat has knitted, then water through dry spells. A light dose of native fertiliser in spring is plenty.

Pruning. None in the usual sense. Trim wandering runners with shears or a spade twice a year to hold its outline.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell it in 140mm pots in packs of ten for paver gaps and edges, and as a 330mm tile: a pre grown mat you cut with a knife like turf and lay straight into position. Both establish quickly while the soil is warm.

Stock is 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

• Groundcovers for the gaps between steppers
• Browse more climbers and groundcovers
• Kidney Weed, its soft leaved companion for shadier gaps
• The Australian natives collection

Common questions

Can you walk on it?

Lightly, yes. The occasional footfall of a stepping stone path does no harm. As a lawn for kids and dogs to run on, no; keep it to gaps, edges and display areas.

How quickly does it cover?

Planted at 25cm spacings and kept moist, it knits into a solid carpet within a growing season. The 330mm tile gives instant cover wherever you lay it.

Will it take over my garden beds?

It spreads by surface runners wherever the ground stays moist, so it will wander into adjoining damp beds. The runners are shallow and easy to lift, and dry ground stops it naturally.

Sun or shade?

Either, with moisture the deciding factor. In cool and coastal gardens it takes full sun happily; inland and up north it appreciates part shade and a reliable drink.