Wynyabbie Gem Coastal Rosemary

Wynyabbie Gem Coastal Rosemary (Westringia 'Wynyabbie Gem') is the native hedge that keeps flowering. It grows to about 1.8m tall and 1.5m wide with fine grey green foliage, and mauve flowers appear across most of the year rather than in one short burst. A cross between the coastal and inland westringias, it takes salt, wind, frost, drought and poor soil in stride. Planted a metre apart it clips into a dense hedge within two seasons.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers nearly all year. Small mauve flowers carry through most months, so the hedge is never simply a wall of green.
• Coastal proof. Salt and wind tolerant, one of the safest choices for an exposed beachside boundary or a windy ridge.
• It clips like a formal hedge. Fine foliage and dense branching take shearing into balls, cubes and low hedges without looking chewed.
• Fast growing Australian native. A useful screen in two seasons, and the flowers feed bees and butterflies while it gets there.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense hedge held anywhere from 1m to its natural 1.8m. Tighter spacing does not close the line faster and it crowds the base.

Coastal gardens and mass planting. Use the same 1m spacing across a bank or a front garden for an informal grey green block that needs nothing but an annual tidy.

Topiary and shaping. Single plants shear into balls and standards for an entry or a pot, holding shape with two or three light trims a year.

Growing Wynyabbie Gem in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth and the most flowers; part shade works but the plant opens up. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens and is frost hardy once established. Constant wet tropical humidity is the one climate it dislikes.

Soil. Drainage above everything, and sandy or gravelly soils suit it perfectly. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound and work coarse material through the bed, then mulch 75mm deep clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, since rich feeding produces soft growth that flops and flowers poorly.

Pruning. Trim lightly and often rather than hard and rarely. Take the tips back after each flush from the first year to build density. Do not cut into bare woody stems, because westringia reshoots poorly from old wood.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in five sizes: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, and single 300mm plants. Tubes are the value choice for a long hedge line. The 200mm and 250mm packs are the usual middle ground, and 300mm plants give a visible hedge sooner.

Plants travel upright and packed, and a little foliage creasing is normal. Keep the root ball damp for the first month, then start tip pruning once new growth appears, usually within four to six weeks in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The westringia care guide
• Australian native shrubs
• Coastal salt tolerant plants
• Plants for topiary and clipped shapes

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. At that spacing the plants meet within two seasons and stay furnished to the ground.

Can I cut it back hard if it gets away from me?

Not really, and this is its main drawback. It does not reliably reshoot from bare old wood, so trim lightly two or three times a year from the start.

Is it genuinely salt tolerant?

Yes. It is one of the more reliable hedges for a front line coastal garden, handling salt laden wind and sandy soil. It also suits a poolside bed, where splash and reflected heat trouble softer plants.