Cascade Lilly Pilly

Cascade Lilly Pilly (Syzygium australe 'Cascade') is the one lilly pilly people buy for the flowers rather than in spite of them. It carries fluffy pink powder puff blooms through spring and summer on soft, slightly weeping new growth, and settles at about 4m tall by 2m wide. That size is far more useful on a suburban block than the 5m and 6m hedging varieties.

Why you'll love it

• Genuine pink flowering. Most lilly pillies flower white and briefly. Cascade gives pink powder puff blooms across spring and summer, followed by edible berries.
• A softer, weeping shape. New growth arches rather than standing stiff, so it works as a feature plant, not only as a clipped block.
• Right sized for suburban gardens. About 4m by 2m untrimmed, or an easy 2m to 3m screen with two trims a year.
• Handles exposed positions. Salt tolerant, wind tolerant and comfortable in humidity, which covers most coastal gardens.
• Native, bird friendly and safe around pets. The flowers bring in nectar feeders and the berries bring in the rest. Not toxic to cats or dogs.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense screen. At 4m of potential height it clears a standard fence without shading the whole yard.

Hedging with flowers. Trim after each flowering flush rather than during it and you keep both a tidy hedge and the display.

Pots and feature planting. One of the better lilly pillies for a courtyard pot, using a container at least 500mm across. Left unclipped in the ground it becomes a soft, arching small tree.

Growing Cascade Lilly Pilly in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun produces the heaviest flowering and the densest growth, while part shade is tolerated with fewer blooms. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens and takes light frost once established. In cold inland districts, the tablelands and hard frosting southern gardens, use a warm wall, a pot you can move, or a frost hardy screen.

Soil. Any reasonable soil with drainage. On clay, plant on a raised mound and improve the bed with compost first. Mulch 75mm deep, off the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then reduce. Potted plants need water more often and will not forgive drying out. Feed with a controlled release native fertiliser in early spring and late summer.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density low down. For a screen, trim lightly twice a year as soon as flowering finishes. It reshoots from old wood, so an overgrown plant can be cut back hard.

What to expect when it arrives

Cascade is grown here in eight sizes. Tube stock and 140mm packs of ten are the value option for a long run and establish very quickly, though they sit a season behind on height. The 200mm packs of six, 300mm and 400mm pots are the usual middle ground. The 25L, 45L and 100L plants arrive already branched, for when you want the screen working this year.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect a settling fortnight, then new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete Cascade lilly pilly growing guide
• Lilly pilly care: planting, feeding and pruning
• Compare every lilly pilly variety
• Browse hedging and screening plants

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

One metre apart in a single row. That spacing lets each plant develop properly and still closes into a solid screen within two to three seasons.

How tall will it get?

About 4m tall and 2m wide left to grow. Two trims a year hold it at 2m to 3m, and because it shoots from old wood it stays furnished at the base instead of lifting into bare trunks.

Will pruning stop it flowering?

It can. Pruning in late winter or early spring removes the developing buds, so trim straight after a flush finishes instead.