Compact Purple Waxflower

Compact Purple Waxflower (Crowea exalata 'Compact Purple') is a petite native shrub that flowers for almost half the year. It forms a neat evergreen mound 50 to 80cm tall and about 1m wide, studded with star-shaped purple-pink flowers from late summer into early winter. The name says purple, but in sunlight the colour reads as a deep, rich pink.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers for months. Blooms run from late summer to early winter, with a few more through the rest of the year outside very hot or very cold spells.
• Star-shaped flowers. Each bloom has five petals, which is how you tell a crowea from a boronia, with its four.
• Colour in the cooler months. It brings pink to the garden through autumn and early winter, when many gardens have little in flower.
• Compact and tidy. A mound under a metre high suits small beds, borders and pots.
• A cut flower. The stems can be cut and enjoyed in a vase.

Where it works best

Native and cottage gardens. Plant 80cm apart in dappled shade for a flowering border. It mixes as comfortably with cottage perennials as with other natives.

Pots and containers. A large pot of acidic native mix on a shaded patio keeps the roots cool, and puts the flowers at nose height.

Winter colour. Set it where you will see it in the cooler months, beside a path or window, when the long flowering season is at its best.

Growing Compact Purple Waxflower in Australia

Position and climate. Dappled shade in a cool, moist, slightly shady position. It comes from New South Wales, Victoria and southern Queensland, so it suits warm temperate, cool temperate and cooler subtropical gardens. It tolerates a light frost. Very hot periods slow flowering, so give it the coolest spot you have.

Soil. Free-draining, light, sandy, acidic soil gives the best results. Mulch generously to keep the roots cool and moist as the young plant establishes.

Water and feed. Water regularly, and do not let the plant dry out or become waterlogged. After pruning, apply a slow release fertiliser made for native plants, followed by fresh mulch.

Pruning. Give it a light prune after flowering has finished, or at the end of winter, to shape the plant and encourage new growth.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Compact Purple Waxflower as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly. Our grower supplies the tube stock and supply is not constant, so the tube shows as sold out when there is none. The notify button on the page emails you the day it is back. Expect a small, bushy young plant that fills out to a mound as it grows.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Australian native shrubs
• Plants for partial shade
• Plants for pots
• Shade gardening in Australia: what to plant where

Common questions

Is it purple or pink?

The name says purple, yet the flowers are a deep, rich pink in sunlight. Treat it as a pink-flowering shrub with a purple cast.

Can it grow in full sun?

It prefers a cool, moist, slightly shady position and regular water to flower at its best. Dappled shade, with mulch over the roots, is the target.

Is it frost hardy?

It tolerates a light frost. In districts with harder frosts, choose a sheltered spot out of the cold air.