General Plant Information
This Australian native grows upright to about 10 feet tall and wide, with deeply cut, rough-textured dark green foliage. It has glossy-petaled, 4 to 5 inch wide flowers in lilac-blue to deep purple. It blooms off and on all year, and the individual flowers last 2 or 3 days. The plant should be pinched or pruned as needed to keep it compact.
Planting and Care
Pinch or prune as needed to keep it compact and good-looking. Once a month, from spring to fall cut back two or three of its longest branches by half or two-thirds their length. Keep well watered until established. Watch for aphids on new growth in spring. This plant will bloom throughout the year in well-drained soil and full sun.
Planting and establishing shrubs
The most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep. Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery. In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be 
located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.
Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth. Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer. This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water. Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.
Quick Notes
- Water: Every 3 weeks
- Exposure: At least part day sun
- Plant type: Evergreen shrub
- Height: 6-10 ft
- Spread: 6-10 ft
- Firewise: yes
- Origin: S. Africa
- Other: Deer Resistant