Hot Tips Indian Hawthorn

Hot Tips Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica 'Hot Tips') is grown for the new growth rather than the flowers. Every flush emerges bright bronze red against dark glossy foliage, so a clipped hedge changes colour several times a year without you doing anything. It holds at about 2m tall and 1.5m wide, takes salt wind and drought in its stride, and carries white and pink blossom in spring.

Why you'll love it

• Colour from foliage, not flowers. The bronze red new growth appears after every trim and every warm spell, so the colour lasts months, not a fortnight.
• An honest 2m hedge. It reaches about 2m tall and 1.5m wide and holds there, so it screens a fence line without constant reduction pruning.
• Built for the coast. Salt tolerant, heat tolerant and drought tolerant once established, which is why it survives in beachfront car parks.
• Frost hardy as well. Unusually for a plant this coastal it handles cold, so it works from the subtropics through to cool temperate gardens.

Where it works best

Hedging. Plant 1m apart for a dense hedge. The plants close into a continuous wall within two to three seasons and stay furnished at the base, which is where most hedges fail. Two trims a year hold it between 1m and 2m.

Mass planting and borders. Across a wide bed the same 1m spacing gives full cover and a rolling wave of bronze new growth. As a low border it holds at 800mm with light shearing.

Coastal gardens. On an exposed seaside block it takes salt laden wind without burning, and it handles reflected heat off paving.

Growing Hot Tips Indian Hawthorn in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun brings out the strongest bronze colour and the densest growth, while part shade colours weakly. It performs across subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and being frost hardy it suits cold southern districts as well as the coast.

Soil. Adaptable, provided the soil drains. It dislikes heavy wet clay, so mound the row 200mm on a poorly drained site and mulch 75mm deep, clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off as it becomes drought tolerant. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and after the main trim drives the coloured growth.

Pruning. Trim after flowering and again in late summer, because each cut triggers a fresh bronze flush. Avoid cutting hard into thick bare wood, since it reshoots slowly from old timber.

What to expect when it arrives

Because it is bought for hedging, it is sold in packs: 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six. The 140mm plants are younger and the sensible choice for a long boundary, taking a season longer to close over. The 200mm plants are bushier on arrival and better for short runs and gaps in an existing hedge.

At 1m spacing, a pack of ten covers ten metres of hedge and a pack of six covers six. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95. Expect a quiet month after planting, then a bronze flush, under our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to create a great hedge and keep it sharp
• Compare our best hedging plants
• See other coastal and salt tolerant plants
• Browse screening plants that hold at 1m to 2m

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. Closer spacing does not close the gaps faster and simply crowds the root zone, while wider spacing leaves a thin base that never fully fills.

How do I get more of the bronze new growth?

Trim it. Every prune triggers a fresh coloured flush, so two or three light trims a year give far more colour than leaving it alone.

Can I keep it lower than 2m?

Yes. Regular light shearing holds it comfortably at 1m to 1.5m as a low hedge or border. Start trimming from planting, because it is slow to reshoot from bare old wood.