Powderpuff Lilly Pilly

Powderpuff Lilly Pilly (Syzygium wilsonii) is a bushy Queensland native grown for its flowers: big pink red pompoms in summer, followed by white fruit in autumn. It reaches about 5m high and 4m wide in shade, stays shorter in bright, open gardens and can be pruned hard to 2m. It is also one of the parents of the Cascade lilly pilly.

Why you'll love it

• Pompom flowers. Large pink red powderpuff flowers cover the plant in summer, and it is quick to start flowering, from about 1m tall.
• Colourful new growth. The new leaves are large and red bronze, so the plant looks good well before the flowers open.
• Bush tucker fruit. Pure white fruit follows in autumn and is edible when cooked.
• A flexible size. Left alone it makes a 5m shrub or small tree, and hard pruning to 2m keeps it as a hedge or large shrub.
• Dense when cared for. With regular watering and pruning in a bright spot, it becomes a dense, bushy plant with abundant flowers.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1.5m apart for a clipped screen, kept pruned to about 2m. Tight clipping costs some flowers, so allow a looser line if the pompoms matter most.

Feature planting. Give a single plant about 4m of room in a sheltered spot, where the summer flowers and autumn fruit can be seen.

Big pots. It will grow in a big pot with regular watering and pruning, which keeps it to a smaller, bushier shape.

Growing Powderpuff Lilly Pilly in Australia

Position and climate. It prefers sheltered areas out of all-day hot sun and heavy winds. In its rainforest home it grows as a somewhat open, leggy understorey plant, but in brighter garden positions it turns dense and bushy. It suits frost free gardens in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate coast, and it should come through a light overnight frost, though not extended cold.

Soil. Rich, moist, free draining soil like a rainforest floor suits it. Dig in compost before planting and mulch to hold moisture.

Water and feed. Mulch and water regularly until the plant is established, usually around 12 weeks, and keep watering through dry spells in a bright position. Feed with an all-purpose fertiliser to encourage health and flowering.

Pruning. Prune regularly to encourage bushiness and improve the shape. It can be cut hard back to 2m, which is how you keep it as a hedge or contain it in a smaller garden.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Powderpuff Lilly Pilly as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly, in 140mm pots in packs of 10, in 200mm pots in packs of 6 and as single 300mm pots. The packs suit a hedge or screen, and the 300mm pot gives a stronger plant for a feature spot.

Our tubes come straight from the grower and are not always available. If there are none today, the tube shows as sold out here, and the notify button on the page emails you the day it returns.

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

• Browse all lilly pillies
• Hedging and screening plants
• Cascade lilly pilly, the hybrid with a Powderpuff parent
• Bush tucker plants for the home garden

Common questions

How big does Powderpuff Lilly Pilly get?

About 5m high and 4m wide in shade, and shorter in bright, open gardens. It can be pruned hard to 2m, so you can choose between a small tree and a clipped hedge.

Can I eat the fruit?

The white fruit is bush tucker and is edible when cooked. Treat it as a novelty rather than a crop, and identify any native fruit properly before eating it.

Will it cope with frost?

It should come through a light overnight frost, but it needs protection from extended cold. It suits frost free to very mild gardens rather than cold inland districts.