Creeping Boobialla

Creeping Boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium) is the native groundcover professionals reach for when bare ground needs covering fast. It hugs the soil at about 15cm tall while each plant spreads up to 2m wide, smothering weeds under a dense green mat starred with small white flowers. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and happy in poor soil, it is close to the toughest carpeting plant in the country.

Why you'll love it

• Rapid, dense cover. Fast growth and a 2m spread per plant close a bed over in a season or two, and weeds struggle to find daylight underneath.
• Tough in every direction. Frost, drought, heat, salt spray and poor soil are all on its tolerance list, which few groundcovers can claim together.
• Genuinely national. It performs in every mainland climate zone, cool temperate to subtropical and the arid inland.
• Flowers the pollinators use. Masses of small white blooms bring bees and butterflies through the warmer months.
• Low maintenance native. Once established it needs no feeding, little water and only an occasional trim along edges.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 1m apart for quick cover; a pack of 10 covers roughly 10 square metres at that spacing, knitting into a mat that follows the shape of the ground.

Retaining walls and slopes. On banks it stabilises the surface, and over walls it spills in a clean green curtain, softening hard landscaping without invading it.

Coastal gardens and rockeries. Salt tolerance makes it reliable in beachside beds, and it threads naturally between boulders in a rockery.

Growing Creeping Boobialla in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest mat; light shade thins it slightly. Frosty southern gardens, the arid inland and the subtropical coast all suit it.

Soil. Any soil with reasonable drainage, including sand, gravel and unimproved fill. On heavy clay, plant on a slight mound so the stems do not sit wet through winter.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer to drive the spread, then leave it to rain in all but the harshest drought. Fertiliser is unnecessary in most soils; a light native slow release in spring is the most it will want.

Pruning. Trim runners back from paths and lawn edges once or twice a year. If a patch thins with age, cut it back harder in spring and it reshoots from the layered stems.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Creeping Boobialla in two pack formats suited to covering ground: 140mm pots in a pack of 10 and 200mm pots in a pack of 6. Both establish quickly; the 200mm plants simply arrive with more spread already made. Expect new runners within weeks in warm weather and serious sideways progress in the first full season.

Plants are packed to travel upright and 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

• Top groundcover plants compared
• Browse all groundcover plants
• Plants for retaining walls and slopes
• Plants for coastal gardens

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

One metre apart is the standard spacing, with the mat closing in one to two growing seasons. For a faster result on a visible bank, tighten to 70cm or 80cm, though at 1m the plants get there soon enough.

Will it cascade over a retaining wall?

Yes, it is one of the best natives for the job. Plant a row about 30cm back from the wall face and the runners will find the edge and spill over in a curtain that can hang well down the face.

Is it safe for pets?

We do not class it as pet friendly. Myoporum foliage is toxic to grazing animals, so while dogs and cats rarely bother with it, it is not one to let pets or livestock chew.

Can I walk on it?

Not routinely. It tolerates the occasional footstep when you are weeding or trimming, but it is a groundcover rather than a lawn substitute, so give it beds, banks and verges where traffic stays off the mat.