Alyogyne ‘Southern Gem’

Alyogyne 'Southern Gem' (Alyogyne huegelii hybrid) is the native hibiscus, and it flowers harder than almost anything else you can plant in a dry garden. It reaches about 2m tall and 1.8m wide, fast, and covers itself in wide purple blooms through the warmer months. Plant it 1.2m apart for an informal flowering screen inside two seasons, on next to no water.

Why you'll love it

• Purple flowers over a long season. Wide open blooms in waves through the warm months, rather than one short burst.
• Fast to fill a gap. It reaches close to full size in two seasons, which is why it is used to close a new fence line quickly.
• An Australian native that earns its water. Drought, heat and salt tolerant once established, and it prefers poor ground to rich.
• Bees and butterflies work it constantly. The open flower shape gives easy access while it is in bloom.

Where it works best

Informal screening. Plant 1.2m apart in a single row. It is a soft, twiggy shrub rather than a formal hedge, so treat it as a flowering boundary, not a clipped wall.

Mass planting and coastal gardens. The same 1.2m spacing on a staggered grid covers a bank or a front garden. Salt tolerance means it holds up close to the water.

Feature planting and small gardens. One plant in a hot, dry corner gives you months of colour in a space too small for a tree.

Growing Alyogyne in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, and plenty of it. This is a plant for subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland districts and hard frosting southern gardens are not for it, and neither is the wet tropics.

Soil. Sharp drainage is the one thing it will not compromise on, and sandy or gravelly ground is ideal. On clay, plant high on a mound with coarse sand through the backfill, because more of these are lost to wet feet than to anything else.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then leave it alone except in severe drought. Feed lightly with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, if at all. Rich feeding gives soft growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning. Trim lightly after each flowering flush, taking the tips back by about a quarter. Left alone it goes open and woody at the base. It is not long lived, so expect eight to ten good years and plan to replace it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tube stock only, so you are buying a young single stemmed plant with a small root system. Tube stock suits this plant well, because it grows so quickly that a larger pot buys you very little time.

Expect new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather, and a first flowering in the first or second season. Individual flowers are short lived, opening and closing over a day or so, but they come in continuous waves. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the wider Australian native shrub range.
• Compare drought tolerant plants for a dry garden.
• Designing a native garden that attracts wildlife.
• See other salt tolerant plants for coastal blocks.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

One point two metres apart in a single row. The plants meet within two seasons at that spacing and read as a continuous informal screen while each keeps room to flower.

Why do the flowers only last a day?

That is normal for alyogyne. Each bloom opens and closes within a day or so, and the plant replaces them continuously through the warm months, so the display looks unbroken.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. A hard frost damages or kills it, particularly while it is young. In cold districts grow it in a pot that can move under cover, or choose a frost hardy native instead.