Hairy Bush Pea

Hairy Bush Pea (Pultenaea villosa) is the native shrub to plant when you want a mass of gold in spring without any of the work. It grows to about 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide with soft arching stems that weep at the tips, then covers itself in small yellow and orange pea flowers that native bees and butterflies work over for weeks. Poor soil, frost and dry spells barely register.

Why you'll love it

• A genuine spring show. Golden pea flowers, flushed orange at the centre, smother the whole shrub rather than sitting in occasional clusters.
• The habit is soft, not stiff. Fine hairy foliage on arching stems gives a gentle weeping shape that breaks up hard lines and formal hedging.
• It thrives on neglect. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and happy in poor sandy or gravelly soil, so it suits the difficult corner of the garden.
• Food for pollinators. An eastern Australian native that draws native bees and butterflies in numbers when little else is flowering.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 1m apart for a soft mass planting. At that spacing the arching stems knit together into a low informal drift rather than a row of separate balls.

Small gardens and borders. At 1.5m each way it reads as a proper shrub without dominating a courtyard bed. Set it back about 700mm from a path so the weeping tips have room.

Feature planting. A single specimen at the front of a native bed carries the spring display on its own, and holds a tidy shape between flushes.

Growing Hairy Bush Pea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering. Light shade is tolerated but the display thins noticeably. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, and being frost hardy it handles cold southern and tableland winters once established.

Soil. Sharp drainage matters far more than fertility. Sandy, gravelly and poor soils are ideal. On clay, plant on a raised mound and open the bed with coarse compost, because wet feet are the one thing that kills it.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Feed sparingly with a low phosphorus native fertiliser after flowering. Standard garden fertiliser is too rich and can burn the roots of a pea flower shrub.

Pruning. Trim lightly straight after flowering, taking no more than a third of the new growth. That keeps it bushy at the base. Old wood is slow to reshoot, so never cut back hard into bare stems.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tubestock. Plants arrive small, usually 100mm to 200mm of growth above the tube, which is normal for a native shrub of this type and the reason a mass planting stays affordable. Tubestock also establishes faster than a potted plant, because the young roots move straight into your soil rather than circling.

Expect the first flowering season a year to eighteen months after planting, and full size in about three years. 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

• Native plants with yellow flowers
• Browse the Australian native shrub range
• Compare bee and butterfly plants
• Designing a native garden for wildlife

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

One metre apart for a mass planting. The arching stems meet at that spacing within two seasons and the bed reads as a continuous drift, with no bare soil showing between plants.

Will it survive frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy and comfortable in cool temperate gardens once established. Protect first year plants through their opening winter, since young tubestock is more vulnerable than a settled shrub.

Why is my plant thin and leggy?

Almost always too much shade, or no tip pruning in the early years. Move it into full sun if you can, and trim lightly after each flowering to build density from the base.