Sea Mist Coastal Rosemary

Sea Mist Coastal Rosemary (Westringia 'Sea Mist') is the low hedge for hard, exposed sites that still have to look deliberate. It settles at about 1m tall and 1m wide, holds fine grey green foliage all year, and takes salt, wind, drought and thin soil without complaint. Small white flowers come through the warmer months, and it shears cleanly enough for a crisp clipped border or a loose native bed.

Why you'll love it

• A hedge that stays low without a fight. At roughly 1m by 1m it holds knee to hip height on two trims a year.
• Built for exposed ground. Salt and wind tolerant, happy in sand or poor soil, and one of the few formal looking shrubs that will hold a beachfront.
• Grey foliage that lifts its neighbours. The fine silver green leaf reads as a soft mass against dark green plants and pale render.
• Australian native, and pollinators use it. White flowers through the warm months bring in bees and small butterflies.

Where it works best

Low hedging and edging. Plant 60cm apart in a single row and the plants meet in about two seasons.

Coastal gardens. It handles front line salt and wind, so it works as a boundary hedge or a windbreak for softer plants behind.

Mass planting. On a batter, verge or dry median, set plants 60cm apart in a staggered grid; the canopies knit into a grey mound that shades out weed seed.

Topiary and shaping. Dense fine growth takes a ball, a cube or a low straight wall and recovers quickly from the shears.

Growing Sea Mist Coastal Rosemary in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens, and is frost hardy once established. Constant wet season humidity is its weak point, so wet tropics gardeners should look elsewhere.

Soil. Drainage is all it asks, and sandy or gravelly soil is ideal. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound with compost and coarse sand worked through, and keep 75mm of mulch clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak once or twice a week through the first summer, then taper off. A low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring is plenty; rich feeding gives soft growth that flops.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density low down, then shear in mid spring and again in late summer. Stay in the green growth, because westringias are slow to reshoot from bare old wood.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten and 200mm in packs of six. Tube stock is the value choice for a long hedge line but takes a season longer to close. The 140mm and 200mm plants read as a line in the first year.

Plants travel upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect a quiet three to four weeks while roots move out, then steady growth. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Choosing plants for a coastal garden
• Browse salt tolerant coastal plants
• Compare the best hedging plants
• More Australian native shrubs

Common questions

How low can I keep it?

Comfortably 60cm to 80cm with two trims a year, and it holds at about 1m if left alone. Below 50cm you are trimming often and cutting into wood it does not like.

Will it cope with frost?

Yes, it is frost hardy once established, which is why it suits cool temperate and inland gardens as well as the coast. Protect the first winter in a hard frost pocket.

Does it grow in a pot?

It does, in a pot 400mm or wider with free draining mix. Potted plants dry out faster, so water more often in summer and expect a tighter shrub.