Native Wax Flowers (Philotheca and Crowea)

How to choose a native wax flower

The Long Leaf Wax Flower, Philotheca myoporoides, is the well known one: a rounded shrub of 1 to 2 metres with narrow, scented leaves, pink buds and white flowers from late winter into spring. The Flower Girl Long Leaf Wax Flower is a named selection of it, as are Winter Rouge and Ruby Cascade. The Blue Wax Flower, Philotheca nodiflora, is a Western Australian species that needs sharper drainage and a drier summer.

Crowea is smaller, usually half a metre to a metre high, with pink starry flowers from summer through autumn and into winter. The White Star Waxflower and the Compact Purple Waxflower are selections of Crowea exalata named for their flowers, with Poorinda Ecstasy and Rosey Star among the hybrids. Croweas are a good fit for small gardens and pots.

These are different plants from Geraldton wax, a larger Western Australian shrub in the myrtle family. If that is what you are after, see our Geraldton wax.

Where wax flowers grow

Philotheca myoporoides and the croweas come from the forests and ranges of eastern Australia. They suit cool temperate and warm temperate climates, including Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and the tablelands, and they grow in the subtropics in a spot with morning sun and good air movement. Most take moderate frost once established. They are not suited to the humid tropics.

Give them full sun in cool districts and part shade or dappled light under open trees where summers are hot. The key requirement is drainage: they are prone to root rot in heavy, wet soil. They sit comfortably with other Australian native shrubs and are a sound choice for plants for partial shade.

Planting and spacing

Plant in autumn or spring. On clay, raise the bed or plant on a slope, and do not add rich manures. Space long leaf wax flowers about a metre apart for an informal low hedge, or 1.5 metres as single shrubs. Space croweas 60 to 80 centimetres apart. Mulch with leaf litter or coarse bark to keep the roots cool, which these plants appreciate, and hold the mulch back from the stem. In pots use a native potting mix.

Care basics

Water regularly through the first summer. After that wax flowers handle dry spells, though they flower more freely with an occasional deep soak, and croweas in particular dislike drying out completely. Feed in spring with a low phosphorus native fertiliser.

Trim lightly after flowering, removing about a third of the new growth, to keep the plant compact. Do not cut into old bare wood. The flowering stems last well in a vase, and cutting them for the house does the same job as pruning. Sudden collapse of a branch or the whole plant usually points to root rot, so check drainage before replanting in the same spot.

Common questions

Is native wax flower the same as Geraldton wax?

No. Geraldton wax is Chamelaucium, in the myrtle family. Native wax flowers are Philotheca and Crowea, in the citrus family, and are generally smaller and more tolerant of shade.

When do wax flowers bloom?

Philotheca flowers from late winter through spring, about July to October. Crowea flowers from summer to winter, with a peak in autumn.

Can wax flowers grow in shade?

They grow well in part shade and dappled light. Deep shade reduces flowering.

Is Eriostemon the same plant?

Yes. Long leaf wax flower was known for many years as Eriostemon myoporoides, and is still sometimes labelled that way.