Geraldton waxflowers are due for their day in the sun

Their flowers have a sweet, honey fragrance and can last for weeks in a vase, making it one of the world’s great cut flower crops.

Geraldton waxflowers in the wild. Picture: Supplied

Geraldton wax or waxflower (Chamelaucium uncinatum) is a dense and spreading shrub, native to the coastal sandplains between Perth and Geraldton. It flowers in winter and spring, making a showy display of waxy, nectar-rich blooms that bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects love. The flowers have a sweet, honey fragrance and can last for weeks in a vase, making it one of the world’s great cut flower crops. The fine foliage is aromatic when crushed, and there’s increasing interest in it as a native spice for its citrus/pine flavour profile. Waxflowers love free-draining soil, thriving in coastal, sandy, hot and dry environments, and they tolerate mild frosts. But they don’t like humidity and heavy summer rain, so they’re not suitable for the tropics. Tip prune them regularly to form a hedge or bushy shrub, or simply cut back by about one third after flowering. While the original species grew 2m-5m in height, new varieties have been bred for compact size and an extended range of flower shapes and colours, covering white, pinks, reds, bicolours and doubles. Local company Helix Australia specialises in breeding and licensing improved varieties of waxflower, partnering with Kings Park Botanic Garden.

Quadruple Helix

These four compact varieties from Helix are recommended for home gardens and to grow in pots.

Chamelaucium ‘Kalbarri’.

Chamelaucium ‘Tiny Dancer’

For each “Local Hero” plant sold, $1 is donated to the SAS Resources Fund to assist current and former serving members of the Special Air Service Regiment.

Chamelaucium ‘Local Hero’

Q&A

Should we remove pawpaw trees growing in large vegetable beds? Do they rob the vegetables of nutrients?

Chris Hogan, Brisbane

As productive small trees that live for about five years, papaws will compete for water and nutrients with vegetables, which are smaller. Although pawpaws have shallow roots that don’t spread far, they are heavy feeders – so if you want the best conditions for your vegetables, grow the trees separately.

What bushes can I grow to screen a 3m-long fence that gets plenty of sun? I’m not able to trim a hedge. Ideally, I’d like flowers long-term and leaves that don’t shed too much.

Helen Morton, Brisbane

Some long-flowering, neat, small shrubs include Polygala ‘Little Polly’, Tibouchina ‘Peace Baby’, dwarf hibiscus such as the HibisQs series, and dwarf oleanders. Ones with coloured foliage and flowers include Loropetalum ‘Plum Gorgeous’ and Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’. Suitable natives include grevilleas such as ‘Peaches and Cream’, ‘Pink Midget’ and cascading ‘Amber Blaze’, as well as dwarf bottlebrushes. You could also train a flowering climber such as Pandorea ‘Southern Belle’ across the fence.

After my dad passed away recently I found a dusty bucket of large dahlia bulbs – the family heirloom. When and where could I plant them?

Annie Nam, Springwood, NSW

Dahlias prefer a cool climate without heavy frosts, a sunny, sheltered spot and free-draining, fertile soil. Plant the fleshy tubers in spring after the frosts; they flower from late summer to autumn. They’re thirsty, greedy plants that respond well to enriched soil, plus doses of soluble fertiliser and seaweed extract. You can leave tubers in the ground unless your soil is wet and frozen in winter – if so, lift them after the stems die down.

Blossom by Adriana Picker.

Send your questions to [e-mail]. The best question for August wins a copy of Blossom by Adriana Picker and her previous book, Petal, together worth $90, from Hardie Grant.