PLANT OF THE WEEK
Scientific name: Alyogyne heugeli
Common Name:Blue Hibiscus or Lilac Hibiscus
Family: Malvaceae
Flowering: late spring to summer
Position: Full sun to part shade.
Fertiliser; low phosphorus (P) or native fertiliser only.
As in all Hibiscus, the flowers open in the morning and last one day.
- huegilii is a prolific flowerer-lots of flowers from late spring until the end of summer.
I’ve seen it grown at the back of the border, amongst exotics like May Bush, Loropetalum, and in front of Princess Lillies, and I must say, I regret having pulled mine out because the flowers are really lovely.
This plant blends so well with any other plant on the planet.
- The original A. heugelii needs to be pruned to promote lower growth and this one grows to about 2 ½ metres tall.
- Although, you can keep it down to 1 ½ metres because it sends out fast-growing shoots from old wood.
There are new select forms that are more compact and lower growing.
Alyogyne heugelii Karana-a medium shrub 1.5m by 1.5m wide
Alyogyne heugelii Misty-a medium shrub 1.5m by 1.5m wide; also frost tolerant.
Have a listen to the podcast.
I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley, qualified horticulturist and avid native plant expert.
