Fan Flower

Fan Flower (Scaevola aemula 'Purple Fanfare') is an Australian native groundcover that flowers almost without pause. It stays around 30cm high and spreads to about 90cm, with trailing stems covered in small purple flowers shaped like an open hand, hence the name. Fast growing, drought and salt tolerant, it holds a hot bank or coastal verge that most flowering groundcovers cannot survive.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers for most of the year. The main flush is spring through summer, and in warm gardens it keeps going well beyond that.
• It covers ground quickly. Spreading to 90cm, a small planting closes over a bed in one season rather than three.
• Australian native, and the bees know it. The flowers pull in bees and butterflies, useful understorey around fruit trees and vegetable beds.
• Built for hard positions. Drought, heat and salt tolerant, so it handles a hot driveway edge, a rockery or a beachside garden.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 40cm apart, about six per square metre, and the stems knit together within a season. Wider spacing works but leaves gaps for weeds the first summer.

Pots, baskets and retaining walls. The trailing habit suits a hanging basket or the front edge of a large pot, cascading 30cm to 40cm over the rim. Use a free draining mix and full sun.

Coastal gardens and borders. Salt tolerance makes it a real option for exposed beachside blocks, and the low height suits a soft path edge.

Growing fan flower in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun; in part shade it stretches, flowers less and looks thin. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid to semi-arid gardens, and takes light frost only, so in cold districts treat it as a warm season plant.

Soil. Sandy or gravelly soil is ideal and poor soil is fine, but it will not accept wet feet. On clay, plant on a raised mound and skip the heavy compost, because rich soil produces leaf at the expense of flower.

Water and feed. Water twice a week for the first six weeks, then only through extended dry spells. Feed lightly with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, since high phosphorus damages the roots of Australian natives.

Pruning. Trim back by about a third after the main flush to keep it dense and bring on more buds. Old plants go woody in the centre after three or four years; a hard cut in early spring revives them.

What to expect when it arrives

Purple Fanfare is sold as tube stock, a young plant with a well developed root system. It will not arrive in flower or near its 90cm spread, but tube stock is the right way to buy a fast growing groundcover: the value option for a bed or bank, and it covers its 40cm within the first warm season. It is currently on backorder, so check the lead time on this page.

Plants are packed upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Plant within a few days of arrival, water in well, and keep the moisture up for the first six weeks. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to choosing groundcover plants
• Browse the full groundcover range
• More Australian native plants
• Salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens

Common questions

How long does it live?

Three to five years in the ground is realistic, longer if you cut it back annually. It is a short lived perennial rather than a shrub, so plan on refreshing a mass planting.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. A few degrees below zero on a still night burns the foliage but the plant usually recovers. Repeated heavy frost kills it, so in cold districts use a pot you can shift under cover.

Why has mine stopped flowering?

Usually too much shade, water or fertiliser. Move it to full sun, ease off the watering once established, and trim back by a third to trigger fresh buds.