Plant of the month: Alyogyne hueglii
Alyogyne hueglii are wonderfully versatile, resilient native shrubs. Their evergreen foliage and long flowering season mean you’ll get year-round interest, whether you pop them into a mixed border or let them shine as standalone feature plants. The flowers bloom solo, which really highlights their shape and spreads the colour evenly across the plant, but they only last a few days.
If you’ve ever battled Melbourne’s moody weather, you’ll appreciate this: some cultivars even thrive in heavy clay soil that turned swampy in winter and bone-dry in summer. However, as they get taller, they become more prone to toppling over after a good soaking, and don’t cope well with wind.
What does this mean for gardeners in southeastern Australia? These plants are climate chameleons, handling longer dry spells and sudden downpours. They’re also pretty flexible with light: part shade is fine, but if you want a showier display of flowers, full sun is best.
And don’t worry about occasional frost. Most can handle a chill and do well tucked under open canopy trees. So if you’re looking for hardy natives, native hibiscus might just be your garden’s new best friends.
Popular cultivars are ‘West Coast Gem’, ‘Santa Cruz’ and ‘Carole’s Choice’.
Alyogyne hueglii in a mixed native street planting at The University of Melbourne's Burnley campus.
Plant info
Botanical name: Alyogyne hueglii
Common name: Native Hibiscus, Blue Hibiscus, Lilac Hibiscus, Purple Hibiscus
Family: Malvaceae
Type: Small-large shrub
Origin and habitat: Temperate, subtropical South Australia and Western Australia in sandy soils
Height: 4m
Spread: 2m
Uses: Screening, poolside, coastal, low-maintenance, habitat, informal hedging
Flowering time: Spring to autumn
Growing notes
Light: Full sun
Water: Drought tolerant, well-drained soil
Care: Regular tip pruning and cutting back by a third after flowering is required to retain dense basal foliage, as most species have a naturally pyramidal form.
Propagation: Hardwood or soft-tip cuttings, propagation by seed requires scarification for optimal germination.
With thanks to Colleen Keena from the Australian Native Plant Society, Hibiscus and Related Genera Study Group.
