Baeckea ‘Clarence River’

Baeckea 'Clarence River' (Baeckea sp. 'Clarence River') is a fine leaved Australian native with a soft weeping habit, reaching about 2m tall and 1.5m wide. Small white flowers cover the arching stems through the warmer months and bring bees and small birds with them. What sets it apart from other native screening shrubs is its range: it copes with drought and with soil that stays wet.

Why you'll love it

• A soft, weeping texture. The fine foliage breaks up the hard lines of fences and rendered walls in a way a clipped hedge cannot.
• Wet or dry, it copes. Drought tolerant once established and tolerant of wet feet, which makes it a safe pick for the low corner of a yard.
• Frost hardy across three climate zones. It performs in subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens without special treatment.
• Flowers that feed wildlife. Massed white blossom draws bees, butterflies and small nectar feeding birds through the flush.

Where it works best

Informal screening and hedging. Plant 1m apart for a soft informal screen. At 2m mature height it covers a standard fence line and a little above it without ever needing a ladder.

Mass planting. The same 1m spacing works through a bank or a wide bed, where the weeping habit reads as one continuous drift rather than a row of shrubs.

Feature and damp ground. Single plants shape well beside a path, and the wet feet tolerance suits creek banks, swales and the low end of a block.

Growing Baeckea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth and heaviest flowering; part shade works but the habit opens up. Being frost hardy it handles cool temperate gardens, though growth is slower there than in a subtropical one.

Soil. Not fussy. It handles sand, loam and clay that holds moisture, which is where many natives give up. Mulch 75mm deep, clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off as the roots go down. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring and go lightly, since rich feeding costs flowers.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting and trim lightly after the flowering flush to keep it dense. Like most fine leaved myrtles it is slow to reshoot from bare inner wood, so trim little and often.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tube stock, which is how most native screens are planted. Tubes are young single stemmed plants that establish quickly, because the root system has never been checked by a large pot.

Tube stock is the economical way to plant a long run and it catches up fast: a season of quiet root growth, real height in the second year, a working screen by the third. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare screening plants that finish between 1m and 2m
• Native plants that bring birds into the garden
• Browse the full native shrub range
• Buying tube stock for a large planting

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

One metre apart in a single row. The weeping stems knit together at that spacing without crowding each other, and the screen reads as solid by the third season.

Will it grow in a wet part of the garden?

Yes. It tolerates soil that stays damp, including seasonal waterlogging, which is why it suits swales and creek edges. Permanently standing water is still too much.

Is it the same plant as Babingtonia or Sannantha?

It is. This group has been shuffled between Baeckea, Babingtonia and Sannantha over the years, so all three names turn up on labels for the same shrub.