White Lace Melaleuca

White Lace Melaleuca (Melaleuca thymifolia 'White Lace') is a dwarf honey myrtle that stays under a metre, spreading a little wider than it grows tall at about 90cm by 1.2m. Lacy white claw shaped flowers run along the stems through the warmer months. It is frost hardy, drought tolerant and content in soil that stays wet, a rare combination in a plant this small.

Why you'll love it

• Wet soil or dry, it copes. Wet feet tolerant and drought tolerant at once, so it works in the boggy corner and the dry driveway strip.
• Delicate white claw flowers. Small and lacy rather than showy, carrying through the warmer months instead of one short burst.
• Small enough for any garden. At 90cm tall it edges a path or fronts a border without constant cutting back.
• Native, and birds and bees use it. Honeyeaters, bees and butterflies all work the flowers.
• Frost hardy and low maintenance. It handles frost and coastal salt, and asks for one light tidy up a year.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 80cm apart for a low massed edge along a path or the front of a bed. At that spacing plants touch without crowding, so each keeps its rounded shape.

Mass planting and rockeries. The same 80cm spacing suits a larger sweep, and it holds form on a rockery or gentle slope.

Pots and small gardens. A pot 300mm or wider is enough, and in a courtyard it will not outgrow the space within two years.

Growing White Lace Melaleuca in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun is best, though it takes a few hours of shade. Suited to subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, and frost hardy once established, so it works where the tropical shrubs will not. Coastal salt does not bother it.

Soil. Genuinely adaptable. Sand, clay loam and ground that stays damp are all fine, which is the point of this species. Avoid rich, heavily fertilised beds.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Feed with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, if at all, because heavy feeding gives soft growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning. Trim lightly after the main flowering to keep the dome tight. It reshoots readily from old wood, so a woody, open plant can be cut back by half in early spring.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are grown: 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six. Both suit mass planting, and because the plant is naturally small they fill their space within a season or two. Ten 140mm plants at 80cm spacing run about seven metres of border edge.

Small tough shrubs travel well, and any leaf drop after transit is cosmetic. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Water it in well, expect roots away within a fortnight in the growing season, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Learn the genus in our guide to identifying and caring for melaleucas.
• Compare sizes and flower colours across the melaleuca range.
• For purple and pink flowers on much the same plant, see Thyme Leafed Melaleuca.
• Plan a larger sweep with our plants for mass planting.

Common questions

How many plants do I need per metre?

At 80cm spacing, a little over one plant per metre of edge, so a pack of ten runs about seven metres. Tighten to 60cm only if you want full cover in the first season.

Will it really grow in wet soil?

Yes. This species comes from damp heath ground, so it tolerates soil that stays wet after rain. Permanent standing water is still too much for it.

How do I stop it going woody?

A light trim each year after the main flush. If it has already opened up, cut it back by half in early spring.