Coastal Rosemary

Coastal Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa) is the native hedge that handles a front fence on a windy salt sprayed street and still looks tidy. It settles at about 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide, holds fine grey green foliage densely from the ground up, and carries small white flowers through most of the year. It clips like box, tolerates drought and poor soil, and is safe around cats and dogs.

Why you'll love it

• It takes the coast without flinching. Salt tolerant, wind tolerant and comfortable in sand, so a hedge facing the sea stays green rather than burning off.
• Clips to a crisp line. Fine leaves and dense branching give a clean cut face, which is why designers use it as a native alternative to box.
• Flowers almost continuously. Small white flowers appear in flushes through the year rather than one short burst, and bees work them steadily.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, and fast growing for a native, so a tube stock hedge closes sooner than most gardeners expect.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 70cm apart in a single row for a dense hedge held at 1m to 1.5m. For individual shrubs keeping their natural rounded shape, stretch that to 1.2m.

Coastal gardens. Front gardens, dune edges and exposed corners all suit it. A staggered double row at 70cm centres makes a low windbreak for softer plants behind.

Mass planting and shaping. Massed at 70cm apart it covers a slope or verge cheaply, and single plants shape well into balls for either side of a gate.

Growing Coastal Rosemary in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the densest growth. Part shade is tolerated but the hedge stays open and flowers less. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens and is frost hardy once established. In the humid tropics it is short lived.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Sandy and poor soils are ideal. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound with coarse compost worked through, because sitting wet through winter kills most plants of this species.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then taper off. A light controlled release native fertiliser in early spring is enough, and rich feeding produces soft growth that flops.

Pruning. Trim little and often from planting, ideally three times through the growing season. It responds poorly to being cut back into thick bare wood, so stay on top of it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in six sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten, 180mm and 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, and single 300mm plants. Tube and 140mm are the value choice for a long boundary and, given how fast this shrub moves, they catch the larger sizes within a couple of seasons.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect a quiet fortnight, then new growth within about a month in warm weather. Tip prune from the start, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The best plants for coastal gardeners
• Browse salt tolerant plants for exposed sites
• Compare hedging and screening plants
• Plants that are safe around cats and dogs

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

Seventy centimetres apart in a single row. The canopies meet within a season or two and the hedge stays furnished at the base. Planting tighter gives you nothing extra.

How low can I keep it?

A trimmed hedge holds neatly at about 1m, and with frequent light clipping you can work it down to 60cm. Avoid cutting into old bare wood, which it is reluctant to reshoot from.

Why has my plant gone woody at the base?

Almost always because it was left untrimmed too long, or it is growing in shade. Once a plant has lifted into bare stems, replacing it beats renovating it.