Tetratheca ‘Spring Cheer’

Tetratheca 'Spring Cheer' (Tetratheca 'Spring Cheer') is a compact Australian native that disappears under pink bell flowers each spring. It sits at about 40cm tall and 60cm wide, low enough to edge a path and dense enough to hold its own in a rockery. It is one of the better choices for a poor, sharply drained bank where fussier plants sulk.

Why you'll love it

• A solid spring display. Hundreds of small pink bells hang along the stems for weeks, dense enough to hide the foliage underneath.
• The right size for a small garden. At 40cm by 60cm it fits a border, a rock pocket or a 300mm pot without ever needing to be cut back to fit.
• It prefers poor soil. Lean, gravelly ground suits it, and rich beds or heavy feeding do more harm than good.
• Frost hardy and drought tolerant. Once the roots are down it copes with cold southern winters and dry summers alike, and native bees work the flowers hard.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 40cm apart along a path for a low continuous ribbon of foliage that carries the spring flowers at knee height.

Rockeries and slopes. This is its natural fit. Sharp drainage between rocks or on a raised bank is exactly what it wants, and the mounded habit suits a terraced garden.

Pots and small gardens. A 300mm pot with a gritty free draining mix works well on a sunny balcony. Mass planted at 40cm centres it covers a small bed within two seasons.

Growing tetratheca in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade, with afternoon protection best in hotter inland gardens. It is at home in warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean climates and is frost hardy. Humid subtropical and tropical gardens are harder on it, because damp still air encourages collar rot.

Soil. Drainage decides whether this plant lives. It needs gritty, free draining, slightly acidic soil low in phosphorus. On clay, plant into a raised mound with coarse sand worked through, and use a gravel mulch rather than a wet organic layer.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer to settle the roots, then rely on rain. A light dose of low phosphorus native fertiliser once flowering finishes is enough for the year.

Pruning. Shear the whole plant back by about a third when the flowers are spent. Skip that single annual trim for a few years and the centre opens out and goes woody.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in tube stock only, so you are buying a young plant a few centimetres across rather than a flowering specimen. That suits it: small native shrubs establish faster and root more deeply from tubes than from larger pots, and it will reach its full 40cm within two growing seasons. Expect the first serious display in its second spring.

Tubes travel very well and can go straight into the ground, though watering them in on the day they arrive matters. 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 the wider Australian native shrub range for companions.
• Compare other rockery plants that want sharp drainage.
• Plants that thrive in poor soil, and why enriching a bed can work against you.
• Choosing edging plants for paths and borders.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Forty centimetres apart for mass planting or an edging run. At that spacing the mounds meet within two seasons without crowding each other into thin growth.

Why is my plant collapsing after rain?

Almost always drainage. Tetratheca will not tolerate wet roots, so raise the bed, add coarse sand and gravel, and switch to a gravel mulch rather than bark against the stem.

Does it flower more than once a year?

The main show is spring and it is a long one. Some gardens get a scattering at other times, but plan for one generous display rather than a repeat.