Hi everyone, I need help identifying this Plant, I bought it because I thought it real pretty but it didn't have a care leafet with it. Would love to know what it is so I can care correctly for it.
LiriodendronScariff, County Clare, IrelandPosts: 5,847
That's an interesting one, Leigh. My feeling is - because this plant reminds me of something but I can't pin it down - that it's a tender shrub we can't grow outside in Britain. I may be wrong, of course... Very heather-like flowers* but the foliage is completely different.
Are you based in the UK?
Hopefully someone will come along who recognises this.
AAH. I think it's Boronia - an Australian evergreen shrub with scented flowers. If so, it needs very good drainage and likes dappled shade, is short lived and not hardy.
*I think these are buds and will open out shortly.
Good luck!
"The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life." Rabindranath Tagore
I've just got home and googled boronia also had a closer look at the plant, I'm going to take another photo close up, the flowers don't open there just tiny and drop off after quite a while.
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LiriodendronScariff, County Clare, IrelandPosts: 5,847
I'm still hoping someone more knowledgeable will have a look at this...
"The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life." Rabindranath Tagore
It's a red boronia heterophylla and Liri is right. It is tender, needs shelter and can be a bit fussy but, if well cared for, makes an attractive plant with perfumed flowers.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
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LiriodendronScariff, County Clare, IrelandPosts: 5,847
Andromedas have simple leaves a bit like rosemary, Sophie... I know what you mean about the flowers though. If you google "Boronia" images I reckon the leaves are very similar to Leigh's picture, and the flowers open from buds which look like her photo too. But they should open into 4-petalled flowers.
"The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life." Rabindranath Tagore
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LiriodendronScariff, County Clare, IrelandPosts: 5,847
Thanks Obelixx!
"The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life." Rabindranath Tagore
Thank you so much. I think the flowers have not opened but instead dropped off because i had just stood on the patio with no protection. I feel bad now lol. I will now care for it properly. Thanks again ????????
Hi. I've recently bought a B. heterophylla too. I'm in Northern Ireland. Information on this plant is definitely lacking, I've not found any comprehensive guides yet either. To add to the advice already given, the shrub will flower in early summer, and then the flowers close. It's not that yours has failed to flower, but rather it already has and has since closed. Flowers are pink and remain throughout summer into Autumn before falling. You will also notice they will eventually turn white. This is normal.
Anyhows, my issue is that I don't have any real sheltered areas in my garden, and my boronia is certainly not coping with the wind, its delicate branches are now all droopy. I've read that it may need to be overwintered indoors to avoid frost. What i really want to know is can it be grown indoors all year round?
Posts
That's an interesting one, Leigh. My feeling is - because this plant reminds me of something but I can't pin it down - that it's a tender shrub we can't grow outside in Britain. I may be wrong, of course... Very heather-like flowers* but the foliage is completely different.
Are you based in the UK?
Hopefully someone will come along who recognises this.
AAH. I think it's Boronia - an Australian evergreen shrub with scented flowers. If so, it needs very good drainage and likes dappled shade, is short lived and not hardy.
*I think these are buds and will open out shortly.
Good luck!
Hi, thanks for replying, I am in the uk yes, it is beautifully scented flowers on it.
I'm still hoping someone more knowledgeable will have a look at this...
Could it be some sort of polifolia? Have the flowers opened yet?
It's a red boronia heterophylla and Liri is right. It is tender, needs shelter and can be a bit fussy but, if well cared for, makes an attractive plant with perfumed flowers.
See here for cultivation info - http://www.gardeningwithangus.com.au/boronias-for-beginners-2/
Andromedas have simple leaves a bit like rosemary, Sophie... I know what you mean about the flowers though. If you google "Boronia" images I reckon the leaves are very similar to Leigh's picture, and the flowers open from buds which look like her photo too. But they should open into 4-petalled flowers.
Thanks Obelixx!
Thank you so much. I think the flowers have not opened but instead dropped off because i had just stood on the patio with no protection. I feel bad now lol. I will now care for it properly. Thanks again ????????
Hi. I've recently bought a B. heterophylla too. I'm in Northern Ireland. Information on this plant is definitely lacking, I've not found any comprehensive guides yet either. To add to the advice already given, the shrub will flower in early summer, and then the flowers close. It's not that yours has failed to flower, but rather it already has and has since closed. Flowers are pink and remain throughout summer into Autumn before falling. You will also notice they will eventually turn white. This is normal.
Anyhows, my issue is that I don't have any real sheltered areas in my garden, and my boronia is certainly not coping with the wind, its delicate branches are now all droopy. I've read that it may need to be overwintered indoors to avoid frost. What i really want to know is can it be grown indoors all year round?
Last edited: 30 June 2017 02:01:27