Fan Flower

Fan Flower 'Mauve Clusters' (Scaevola aemula 'Mauve Clusters') is a low Australian native groundcover that flowers for most of the year rather than for a few weeks. It stays under 20cm high and spreads to about 1.2m, laying down a flat mat of small green leaves covered in mauve fan shaped flowers. For a hot dry bank or a pot that needs colour without fuss, there are few easier natives.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers nearly all year. The mauve fan shaped blooms come in flushes through spring, summer and autumn, and in mild gardens it barely stops.
• Low and wide. At 20cm tall and 1.2m across it hugs the ground and spills over edges without crowding anything.
• Heat, drought and salt. Once established it takes hot exposed positions, dry spells and coastal salt spray.
• Quick to cover. A bed planted in spring generally reads as continuous by the end of summer.
• A magnet for bees and butterflies. The long flowering season keeps pollinators fed through months when many natives have finished.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 60cm apart for a dense groundcover, about three plants per square metre. Closer than that wastes plants, because the stems overlap and flowering thins in the crowded centre.

Pots and balconies. The trailing habit is made for spilling over the rim of a pot. One plant fills a 300mm pot, and it pairs well with taller upright natives.

Coastal gardens, borders and edging. Salt tolerance makes it a reliable front row plant in a seaside garden, and along a path it softens the hard edge.

Growing Fan Flower in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering; light shade is tolerated but halves the display. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens. It takes light frost only, so in cold inland and hard frosting southern gardens treat it as a pot plant that can be moved under cover.

Soil. Sandy, gravelly and free draining is ideal. Rich moist ground gives lush foliage and disappointing flowering. On clay, mound the bed and open it up with coarse sand.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then only during long dry spells. In pots it needs more. Feed lightly with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring.

Pruning. Trim the whole plant back by a third in late winter or after a heavy flowering flush. That keeps it dense and flowering to the tips instead of bare and stringy in the middle.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes as tube stock or as packs of ten 140mm plants. Tubes are small rooted cuttings and the economical way to cover a large area, filling out within a season. The 140mm plants are already spreading and often carrying flowers, so they suit a smaller bed or a pot.

Soft trailing stems can arrive a little bent from the box. That grows out quickly and is not a fault. Plant promptly, water in well, and expect noticeable spread within four to six weeks in warm weather. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the full range of groundcover plants.
• Browse coastal and salt tolerant plants for an exposed seaside bed.
• Read our guide to choosing ground cover plants.

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

Three, at 60cm spacing, for a dense groundcover. A 10 square metre bed takes about thirty plants, which is where the packs of ten become the practical option.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. A brief touch of frost in a mild garden will burn some foliage and it recovers, but repeated hard frosts will kill it. In cold districts grow it in a pot and shift it under eaves for winter.

How long does each plant live?

Three to five years is typical, longer in a well drained sunny position with an annual trim. It is inexpensive to replace, and many gardeners add a few fresh plants every few years.