Royal Robe Fan Flower

Fan flower 'Pink Perfection' (Scaevola aemula 'Pink Perfection') is the native groundcover for a hot, dry, awkward spot. It stays about 30cm tall and spreads to 1.2m, running flat over the ground and covering itself in small pink flowers shaped like a half open fan. Flowering runs from spring through to autumn in a warm garden, and bees and butterflies work it the whole time. It is drought, heat and salt tolerant once established.

Why you'll love it

• It covers ground fast. One plant spreads to 1.2m, so a small number closes a bare bed in a season.
• Months of flower. The fan shaped pink blooms carry through the warm half of the year rather than one short burst.
• Made for hard positions. Heat, drought and salt spray are all handled, which suits hot driveway edges and exposed coastal beds.
• Australian native, low maintenance. No spraying, no staking, and one trim a year keeps it dense.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 60cm apart for a dense groundcover. At that spacing the plants meet within a season and shade out most weed seedlings.

Retaining walls and slopes. The trailing habit is at its best given an edge to fall over, so plant at the top of a wall or along a bank and let it spill.

Pots, rockeries and coastal gardens. It softens the rim of a pot or a hanging basket, threads between rocks, and holds up in a salt exposed seaside bed.

Growing fan flower in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, though it accepts a little afternoon shade. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it takes light frost only, so in cold districts grow it in a pot that can move under cover.

Soil. Free draining soil is the one requirement. Sandy and gravelly ground is ideal; on clay, mound the bed and add coarse grit rather than rich compost.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Feed lightly with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, since overfeeding gives leaf growth instead of flowers.

Pruning. Shear the whole plant back by about a third in late winter to stop the centre going woody and bare. A light trim after the main flush brings a second wave of flower.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tube stock: young plants, usually a small rosette with a few trailing stems, which travel well because there is little top growth to damage. Small size is no disadvantage here, because fan flower is fast growing and a tube planted in spring will cover its patch by the end of the season.

Plant within a few days of arrival, keep the water up for the first month, and expect flowers in the first season. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Choosing the right groundcover plant
• Browse the full groundcover range
• Plants for rockeries and gravel gardens
• Plants for coastal and salt exposed gardens

Common questions

How many plants do I need?

At 60cm spacing you need roughly three plants per square metre for a dense cover within a season. Stretch to 80cm if you are happy to wait a second year.

Why has the centre gone bare and woody?

That is normal after two or three seasons if it is never cut. Shear the whole plant back by a third in late winter each year and it stays dense from the middle out.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. In cold inland and southern gardens it is better treated as a pot plant that can shelter under eaves for winter, or replanted each spring.

Can I grow it in a hanging basket?

Yes, and it is one of the best natives for the job. Use a free draining mix, place it in full sun, and water more often than you would in the ground.