Brown boronia (Boronia megastigma)

When it flowers

January, not flowering
February, not flowering
March, not flowering
April, not flowering
May, not flowering
June, not flowering
July, flowering
August, flowering
September, flowering
October, flowering
November, not flowering
December, not flowering

Boronia megastigma. Photo: Just chaos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Close-up photograph of Boronia megastigma (Brown Boronia) in Perth, Australia. The photograph features a few twigs with short needle-like leaves along the stems, and with four-petalled flowers that a…. Photo: Carlquist, Sherwin John, 1930-2021 / Cc-by-4.0, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

1 of 3

Small shrub with nodding brown-and-gold bells famous for their rich perfume.

Grown for the scent of its cup-shaped flowers, brown outside and gold inside, which fills the garden in late winter and spring. Particular about conditions and often short-lived, but worth growing near a path or in a pot by the door.

In the garden

Feature plant
Pots and containers
Cut flowers

Scent: Fragrant flowers
Leaves: Fine, aromatic, needle-like leaves.
Attracts: Pollinating insects
Flowers: Nodding cup-shaped bells, brown outside and gold inside, strongly perfumed.

Growing conditions

Light: Part shade
Soil: Sandy and loam
Soil pH: Acidic
Drainage: Copes with occasional wet
Frost: Light frost
Water: Needs regular water
Climate: Dry summers (Mediterranean) and temperate

Planting and care

Grown from: Cuttings

Planting

Morning sun or dappled shade in moist, very well-drained, slightly acid soil. Mulch well to keep the roots cool; grows well in a pot.

Pruning

Cut flowering stems for the vase, or trim by a third after flowering to keep it bushy.

Care

Keep the soil just moist, never wet or bone-dry. Often short-lived; replace every few years.

Where it comes from

Family: Rutaceae
Order: Sapindales
Native to: Western Australia
Natural range: Damp, sandy ground and creek edges of south-west Western Australia.

Widely available.

We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.

Help improve this page

Spotted a mistake, or know something we don't? Everything is checked by a moderator before it goes live.

Suggest changes Add a photo Change history

Brown boronia Boronia megastigma