Midstorey

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Coastal rosemary Westringia fruticosa

Also called Native rosemary

Previously known as Westringia rosmariniformis

When it flowers

Westringia fruticosa, growing right on the coast in Coogee, Sydney.
Westringia fruticosa, growing right on the coast in Coogee, Sydney.. Photo: [User:Eug]], CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Description: Coastal Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa) Location: Near the beach at Murramarang National Park, South Durras, New South Wales, Australia Date: 2005-09-24 Source: picture taken by Danielle…
Description: Coastal Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa) Location: Near the beach at Murramarang National Park, South Durras, New South Wales, Australia Date: 2005-09-24 Source: picture taken by Danielle…. Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Dlanglois assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Description: Coastal Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa) Location: Near the beach at Murramarang National Park, South Durras, New South Wales, Australia Date: 2005-09-24 Source: picture taken by Danielle…
Description: Coastal Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa) Location: Near the beach at Murramarang National Park, South Durras, New South Wales, Australia Date: 2005-09-24 Source: picture taken by Danielle…. Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Dlanglois assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Grey-green coastal shrub that clips into hedges and handles salt spray.

From the New South Wales coast. Small white flowers appear through much of the year. A popular native alternative to box hedging.

In the garden

  • Hedging
  • Screening
  • Windbreak
  • Pots and containers
Leaves
Narrow grey-green leaves in whorls.
Attracts
Pollinating insects
Flowers
Small white flowers with faint purple spots.

Growing conditions

Light
Full sun to part shade
Soil
Sandy, loam and clay
Drainage
Needs good drainage
Frost
Light frost
Water
Very drought tolerant
Coast
Exposed to salt spray
Climate
Subtropical, dry summers (Mediterranean) and temperate

Planting and care

Grown from
Cuttings

Pruning

Clip two or three times a year for a formal hedge.

Care

Takes regular clipping well.

Where it comes from

Native to
New South Wales
Natural range
Coastal New South Wales.

Cultivars and forms

  • Mundi westringia Westringia fruticosa 'Mundi' 0.3–0.5 m, groundcover

    Groundcover, 0.3–0.5 m tall, 1–1.5 m wide
    Full sun to part shade

    Add

Where to buy

Widely available.

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

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Further reading