Purple Rain Lilly Pilly

Purple Rain Lilly Pilly (Syzygium australe 'Purple Rain') is the screening plant for gardeners who want more than a wall of green. New growth opens deep purple over glossy dark foliage, several times a year. Untrimmed it makes a narrow tree of about 5m tall and 2.5m wide, and holds easily at 2m to 3m as a hedge. Planted a metre apart it closes into a solid screen.

Why you'll love it

• Purple new growth, again and again. Each flush opens deep purple before hardening to dark green, and a light trim brings on the next.
• Psyllid resistant. A selected form that resists the pimpling and puckering that ruins older lilly pillies. Not immune, but no routine spraying.
• Narrow for its height. About 2.5m wide at 5m tall, so it screens a fence line without eating the garden bed.
• Copes with damp ground. Wet feet tolerant, unlike most screening plants, so it handles the low corner that stays soggy.
• Native, and the birds know it. Fluffy white flowers give way to edible berries that honeyeaters work through.

Where it works best

Screening and hedging. Plant 1m apart in a single row. Closer spacing does not close the gap faster, and makes watering and access harder.

Coastal and low lying blocks. Salt tolerant, humidity tolerant and happy in ground that holds moisture, so it suits seaside boundaries and soils that defeat other hedges.

Feature planting and shaping. Single plants clip well, so a matched pair at an entry or a ball in a large pot works.

Growing Purple Rain Lilly Pilly in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth and the strongest purple; part shade works but the screen is looser and the colour muted. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost once established, so the tablelands, cold inland districts and hard frosting southern gardens want a hardier hedge.

Soil. More forgiving than most lilly pillies on heavy or damp ground, though it still wants a bed that drains. On clay, plant on a mound and work compost through. Mulch 75mm deep, clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off as the roots take hold. A controlled release native fertiliser in early spring and late summer keeps the flushes coming.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting so it branches low, then trim once each flush hardens to green. A fresh one follows within weeks. It shoots from old wood, so a neglected hedge can be cut back hard.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in several sizes, from 140mm through to 100L. The 140mm and 200mm plants come in multi packs of ten and six, the value choice for a long boundary: young, single stemmed and a season slower to close, but quick to establish. The 100L is a mature specimen with height on day one.

Plants travel upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect a quiet fortnight after planting, then new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant and maintain a lilly pilly hedge
• Browse the full lilly pilly range
• Compare hedging and screening plants
• Preparing a garden bed before planting

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. At that spacing the canopies meet and the screen reads as solid within two to three seasons, with no thin patch at the bottom.

How do I get more of the purple colour?

Full sun, a feed in early spring and late summer, and a light trim once each flush hardens off. Pruning is the trigger, so a clipped hedge stays more colourful than one left alone.

Will it cope with frost?

Light frost only, and only once established. In a cold garden it will burn, so give it a warm wall with overhead protection or choose a frost hardy hedge.