Fan Flower

Fan Flower 'Purple Fusion' (Scaevola aemula 'Purple Fusion') is an Australian native groundcover that flowers for most of the year and asks almost nothing in return. It stays around 300mm tall and spreads to about 1m, carrying purple flowers shaped like a small open fan, each one split down one side. Planted 50cm apart it covers bare ground in a single season.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers for months, not weeks. Purple fans appear from spring right through the warm season and often into the cooler months in mild gardens.
• It covers ground fast. Quick spreading stems close a 1m circle within a season, which crowds out weeds and saves on mulch.
• Dry, hot and salty suits it. Drought, heat and coastal salt are all handled once established, so it works on nature strips, rock walls and beachside beds.
• Bees and butterflies find it. The open flowers are easy for pollinators to work, which makes it a useful plant along a vegetable garden edge.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 50cm apart in a grid for a continuous purple carpet. On a slope, stagger the rows so the stems knit across the bank rather than down it.

Pots, baskets and retaining walls. The stems trail rather than climb, so it spills neatly over the edge of a pot, a raised bed or a rock wall.

Borders and coastal gardens. As a front edging it softens hard lines and holds low, and its salt tolerance makes it a sensible choice for exposed seaside blocks.

Growing Fan Flower in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so in cold inland and southern districts treat it as a warm season plant or grow it in a pot that can shelter over winter.

Soil. Free draining soil is essential, including sand and gravelly ground. On clay, plant into a raised bed or mound. It is one of the few natives that will genuinely rot in wet winter soil.

Water and feed. Water twice weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring. Overfeeding gives you soft leafy growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning. Shear the whole planting back by about a third after the main flush, usually in late summer. That keeps the centre from going woody and bare, and it triggers a fresh round of flowering within a few weeks.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock and in 140mm pots sold in packs of ten. Tubes are young rooted plants and the sensible way to cover a large area, since a groundcover project usually needs numbers rather than size. The 140mm packs are further along and give quicker cover on smaller beds.

Some stem breakage in transit is normal on a trailing plant and does no lasting harm. Trim the damaged tips, plant straight away, and expect flowering within the first warm season. 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

• Choosing a groundcover for your garden
• Browse the groundcover range
• Compare bee and butterfly friendly plants
• Plants suited to coastal gardens

Common questions

How many do I need per square metre?

At 50cm spacing you need four plants per square metre. That closes over in roughly one warm season with regular water while they establish.

How do I stop it going woody in the middle?

Shear it back by a third after the main flowering flush each year. Left untrimmed the centre thins and the flowers retreat to the outer stems.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. In cold gardens the top growth burns, and while established plants often reshoot in spring, it is safer to treat it as a warm season groundcover or grow it in a pot.