Snowstorm Melaleuca

Snowstorm Melaleuca (Melaleuca linariifolia 'Snowstorm') gives you the summer snow display of the old paperbark on a plant that stays hedge sized. It holds at about 1.8m tall and 1.8m wide, roughly a fifth the height of the species, and in summer the whole bush disappears under soft white flowers. Planted a metre apart it closes into a continuous wall of fine evergreen foliage within two seasons.

Why you'll love it

• Hedge height without the pruning battle. The species runs to 8m. This dwarf form settles at 1.8m on its own, so trimming is about shape, not control.
• White flowers by the armful. Summer brings a smother of soft, fluffy blooms across the whole plant, not just at the tips.
• It handles wet feet and drought. Very few shrubs tolerate both. This one copes with a soggy corner in winter and a dry spell in February.
• Coastal proof and frost hardy. Salt wind does not burn it, and unlike many warm climate natives it takes real frost, so it suits beachfront and cold inland gardens alike.
• Busy with life. The flowers draw honeyeaters, native bees and butterflies through the warm months.

Where it works best

Low hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense hedge at 1.2m to 1.8m. Because the plant wants to stay that size, the hedge stays furnished at the base instead of lifting into bare legs.

Mass planting. Set 1m apart across a bank or a wide bed for a solid drift that suppresses weeds once it knits together, including slopes with awkward drainage.

Coastal gardens and borders. Salt tolerance makes it a front line plant near the beach, and its even habit suits a soft border along a path.

Growing Snowstorm Melaleuca in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering and the densest habit. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, and being frost hardy it is a sound choice for southern and inland districts where many natives struggle.

Soil. Poor soil is not a problem, and neither is a heavy or seasonally wet spot, which sets this plant apart from most hedging shrubs. Mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep water twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. A low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring is all it asks; overfeeding produces soft growth.

Pruning. Trim straight after flowering, giving the plant a full season to build the wood that carries next summer's display. It reshoots willingly, so a neglected hedge can be cut back harder.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in tube stock and 200mm multi packs, both aimed at planting a run. Tube stock is the value choice for a long hedge: small plants, but melaleucas establish fast and a spring planted tube will be a shrub by autumn. The 200mm pack of six gives a season's head start.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect roots to move within a fortnight and new tip growth inside six weeks in the warmer months. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare hedging and screening plants
• Browse the full Australian native range
• More shrubs for borders and mass planting
• Preparing a bed before planting a hedge

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. That spacing lets each plant fill out properly and the canopies meet within two seasons, with no thin patch along the bottom.

Is this the same as the big paperbark?

Same species, very different plant. 'Snowstorm' is a dwarf selection holding at about 1.8m instead of the 8m the ordinary form reaches. Buy it when you want the flowers without the tree.

Will it survive a wet or clay site?

Better than almost anything else you could hedge with. It is rated wet feet tolerant, so a corner that stays soggy through winter is workable.