{"title":"Mat Rush","description":"\u003cp\u003eTwenty mat rushes are listed here, and the titles do the first sort. Fourteen carry the plain Mat Rush title, named selections raised for even habit. Five are titled Spiny Headed Mat Rush, the Lomandra longifolia end of the range. One is Creek Mat Rush.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe fine leaved selections\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-lm300-pbr-tanika\"\u003eTanika\u003c\/a\u003e is soft to the hand, arching into a rounded tuft, and holds green through frost, drought and periods of wet feet. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-lime-tuff\"\u003eLime Tuff\u003c\/a\u003e is the compact one for front rows and path edges, offered in eight grades from 75mm up to 250mm. Little Pal is a Lomandra confertifolia, finer again. Colour comes from Little Lime in yellow green, Frosty Top with a cream leaf edge, and Nyalla and Bloomin Bloo in blue grey. All want open sun to hold that tone; in deep shade the leaves stretch and drift back towards plain green, and pale foliage browns at the tips against a hot western wall. Wingarra takes dry shade under established trees. Seascape is the broad leaved one, chosen for salt laden coastal wind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe spiny headed end\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-longifolia\"\u003eLomandra longifolia\u003c\/a\u003e is the straight species, seed grown, so no two plants match in size, leaf width or vigour. Across a batter that variation reads as natural. In a formal row along a townhouse driveway it reads as a mistake. The teeth are worst at this end. Every leaf carries a small cluster at the tip, so keep longifolia clear of narrow paths and play areas, and wear gloves in it. Seed germinates readily in nearby gravel, so cut spent spikes on garden specimens. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-longifolia-verday\"\u003eVerday\u003c\/a\u003e is the tidier selected form for wet basins and swale bases, taking inundation for days on end and then a dry summer. Empress, Dalliance, gold toned Miners Gold and Katrinus Deluxe fill out this end.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWet ground and the frost limit\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe single \u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-hystrix\"\u003eCreek Mat Rush\u003c\/a\u003e comes off subtropical creek banks, taller and glossier, arching at the tip instead of standing stiff, and holds form in shade better than the rest. Its flower spikes are prickly too, so set it back from paths where children brush past. In Canberra, Ballarat or an inland frost hollow it leaves late winter with burnt tips and brown outer leaves that take until midsummer to grow out, while longifolia shrugs the same frost off. Katie Belles handles a softer version of that brief on drainage lines damp through winter and bone dry by February. More on low spots and swales in our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/plants-for-clay-soil-australia\"\u003eplanting into clay\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWater, spacing and pruning\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull sun to part shade across the range, evergreen, moderate growth, low water once established. Established lomandra die from kindness more often than neglect: a drip line left on a summer schedule all year, plus heavy nitrogen, invites the fungal leaf blight that browns a clump out through the middle in a humid summer. Keep mulch off the crowns, since a buried base rots, and rake trapped litter out of the fine leaved tufts each autumn before it rots the centre out. Spacing is not one number. The seed grown species wants 800mm to a metre centres, Lime Tuff closes over at 400 to 500mm, creek mat rush at 600 to 700mm. Cut whole clumps back hard in late winter every few years rather than shearing tips annually, and keep the cut above the woody base. Go into that on an old clump and it either recovers slowly or does not come back. Lime Tuff is the exception: tip prune it each late winter, and save the hard cut for a clump that has already opened out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeventeen of the twenty offer a 140mm pot, roughly a litre and a half of root; eleven start there. Seven offer a 5L, the only grade for two of them. Pair them with \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/flax-lily\"\u003eflax lily\u003c\/a\u003e for foliage colour, or weigh the softer tussocks in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/lomandra-and-grasses\"\u003eornamental grasses\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"lomandra-bloomin-bloo-intended","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra Bloomin Bloo","description":"\u003cp\u003eBlue-grey tone in the leaf is what this Lomandra is grown for, and like every coloured-foliage mat rush it holds that colour best in open sun. Push it into deep shade and the leaves stretch, soften and drift back towards plain green. In full sun to part shade it makes a fine-textured tussock that reads cool against warm brick, gravel and rendered walls.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe roots are the real asset. Lomandra bind loose fill and batter faces the way few ornamental grasses can, which is why they end up on so many detention basin edges and driveway cuttings. Once established they run on very little water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo things kill mass plantings of Lomandra in this country: irrigation that never gets turned down after establishment, and heavy nitrogen feeding, both of which invite the fungal leaf blight that shows as browning through the middle of the clump in humid summers. Cut clumps back hard to a fist-sized crown every few years to keep them tight. Delivery is a flat $99 across QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 140mm, at $16.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64309120467313,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/bFyIQgIREmm74UNfCtG8I_91fNXe7C.jpg?v=1787628410"},{"product_id":"lomandra-lime-tuff-tissue-culture","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra Lime Tuff Tissue culture","description":"\u003cp\u003eTissue culture is not decoration on the label here, it is the reason to buy this line. Lime Tuff raised from culture comes uniform and true to type, without the variation you get when a batch is split from divisions, so a hundred plants down a median strip actually read as one planting rather than a collection of individuals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe plant itself is a compact, fine-leaved mat rush with bright lime green foliage, much softer in texture and lower in the hand than the big spiny-headed longifolia types. It suits low borders, kerbside strips, the front edge of a native bed and pots. Full sun keeps the colour bright, and part shade is fine, though the lime tone dulls a little.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYoung tissue-culture plants arrive small and juvenile. Keep water up through the first summer while roots find the surrounding soil, then taper right off, because established clumps resent constant wet far more than they resent drought. Shear old clumps back hard in late winter to refresh them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 130mm up to 140mm, priced from $16.95 to $16.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64309127250289,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"130mm","offer_id":64311675158897,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/pMsnL53pj2uoCqmi9-cRF_VNywU0hj.jpg?v=1787628411"},{"product_id":"lomandra-longifolia-empress","title":"Spiny Headed Mat Rush - Lomandra longifolia Empress","description":"\u003cp\u003eRead the common name literally. Lomandra longifolia carries a small cluster of sharp teeth at the tip of every leaf, and while they will not stop a landscape crew, they are enough to make this a poor pick for the edge of a narrow path where small children brush past. Empress is a selection of that species, so expect the same robust, arching tussock of flat strap leaves rather than a dwarf.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLongifolia is the workhorse of the genus. It handles heavy clay, seasonal wet feet, dry banks, frost and coastal exposure, and it holds soil on a slope better than almost anything else sold in a 200mm pot. In spring the clumps push short, congested cream flower spikes down among the leaves, and the male ones carry a light honey scent on warm days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGive clumps room to reach their full spread instead of crowding them, and cut hard back with a hedge trimmer every third or fourth year so the centre does not go thatchy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 200mm, at $29.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64309128462705,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/iFdAS058uG4lfpfb2Cvg4_ZFbHqQcU.jpg?v=1787628411"},{"product_id":"lomandra-longifolia-miners-gold","title":"Spiny Headed Mat Rush - Lomandra longifolia Miners Gold","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn a hot western batter or a gravel verge that nobody is going to water, this is the kind of plant landscapers reach for. Miners Gold is a Lomandra longifolia selection, so underneath any foliage colour it is the same tough, deep-rooted tussock: flat strap leaves, a clumping habit that stays put, and tolerance of clay, drought, frost and salt wind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eColour in gold-toned mat rushes is a sun-dependent thing. Grown in the open the tones stay warm and bright, while in shade the leaves lengthen and green up, so place it where it gets real light if the colour is why you bought it. If an odd shoot comes through plain and coarse, cut it out at the base before it takes over the clump.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWater it properly through the first summer, then back right off. Established Lomandra die from kindness far more often than from neglect, particularly on drip lines left running to a summer schedule all year round.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 140mm, at $16.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64309129380209,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/tgNPeNyfm9leAIZcntBm-_19VVtQDz.jpg?v=1787628411"},{"product_id":"lomandra-longifolia-dalliance","title":"Spiny Headed Mat Rush - Lomandra longifolia Dalliance","description":"\u003cp\u003eDalliance is a fine leaved selection of the spiny headed mat rush, arching into a soft rounded clump rather than the stiff upright fan of the raw species, so a mass planting reads as a green wave instead of a row of spikes. Underneath it is all root, a deep fibrous system that binds soil on a batter and holds through a bed that floods after a storm and then bakes for a fortnight. That is the work it is bought for: road batters, swale edges, carpark strips and slopes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBatters, swales and carpark strips\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull sun to part shade and almost any soil that is not permanently waterlogged. It is a native of eastern Australia, takes frost, heat, drought, coastal wind and reflected heat off paving, and needs low water once established, though a drink through the first summer gets it away faster. For mass planting, space the clumps so they touch when mature, and leave a clear gap between the outer leaves and any path edge, because the leaf edges and tips are genuinely sharp and mat rush planted hard against a footpath catches ankles and shopping bags. It also suits a raised planter box in a courtyard, where the arching form softens hard edges and the roots handle reflected heat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe failure mode is shearing it into balls. Hedge trimming a mat rush cuts every leaf at the same point, leaves a ring of blunt brown tips and builds a dead thatched core that never fills back in, and each trim after that makes it worse. If a planting has already gone woody and brown through the middle, cut whole clumps back hard and low, all of them at once, and let them reshoot clean.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDalliance against the rushes and mat plants\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/baloskion-tetraphyllum\"\u003eTassel cord rush\u003c\/a\u003e is the strappy native to weigh it against, and the deciding factor is the site. The cord rush belongs on ground that stays damp, a pond edge or the low point of a swale, and it struggles in a dry exposed bed. Dalliance handles that same swale and also the dry top of the batter above it, which the cord rush will not. For a fine, low, shaded carpet rather than a knee high clump, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/ophiopogon-japonicus\"\u003egreen mondo\u003c\/a\u003e is the alternative, though it will not take the exposure or do the erosion work. Cord rush is also the finer and softer looking of the two natives by a long way. See the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/mat-rush\"\u003emat rush range\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCutting whole clumps back\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery few years, in late winter or early spring, cut the clumps down hard and low with a brushcutter or shears, taking the whole planting at once so it regrows evenly, then water and feed. In between, pull dead leaf out by hand and remove spent flower spikes if you would rather not have the seed. Feeding is optional, though a light application of low phosphorus native fertiliser after the hard cut speeds the flush back up. Wear long sleeves and gloves for any of this work, since the leaf edges cut skin easily.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 140mm up to 200mm, priced from $19.95 to $29.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311368515953,"sku":null,"price":19.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311368548721,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/plantdrop-dalliance-lomandra-lomandra-longifolia-dalliance-20260611_a7ec2e02-8212-4e6e-b7f4-a7e180539989.png?v=1785551664"},{"product_id":"lomandra-hystrix","title":"Creek Mat Rush - Lomandra hystrix","description":"\u003cp\u003eCreek mat rush is the tall, full, soft looking one. Its leaf is glossier and brighter green than the other mat rushes here and it arches over at the tip instead of standing stiff, so a mature clump reads as a fountain rather than a fan. It comes from subtropical creek banks, which is where its usefulness lies: it sits in ground that stays damp far longer than its relatives will, and it is planted on batters above waterlines, in swale bases and through shaded courtyards.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDamp ground, shade, and the cold limit\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWarm coastal and subtropical gardens are its home range, and it does well through Brisbane, the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, Sydney and coastal northern New South Wales. It handles full sun to part shade and keeps better form in shade than most strappy plants, which is why it ends up in dark side courtyards and under established trees where other tussocks thin out. Soil can be clay, loam or filter media, and periodic inundation is no problem. For mass planting use 600 to 700 millimetre centres, roughly two to three plants to the square metre, allowing for a clump that gets genuinely large. The failure mode is cold. This is the least frost hardy mat rush in the range, and in Canberra, Ballarat, Armidale or an inland frost hollow it comes through late winter with burnt tips and brown outer leaves that take until midsummer to grow out. In those districts plant its southern relative instead, since burnt hystrix leaf sits there looking bad for half a year while longifolia shrugs the same frost off. One siting note: the flower spikes are prickly, which is what hystrix means, so set it back from paths where children brush past.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHystrix or longifolia\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese two get swapped on site and they are not interchangeable. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-longifolia\"\u003eLomandra longifolia\u003c\/a\u003e is stiffer, duller and darker in the leaf, more rigidly upright and far tougher through frost and drought, and it is the one for exposed road batters in cold or dry country. Hystrix is taller, softer, brighter and better in damp shade, and it reads as a garden plant rather than a roadside one, which matters in a courtyard where people see it up close. Where the ground is actually waterlogged rather than merely damp, step down to \u003ca href=\"\/products\/carex-appressa\"\u003eCarex appressa\u003c\/a\u003e, which handles standing water that will eventually rot a hystrix crown.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCleaning out old leaf\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eClean the clump by cutting it back hard, low and all at once in late winter, every three or four years, rather than shearing the tops flat. Flat shearing leaves cut brown ends sitting at eye level for months, which is the usual reason a planting looks worse after maintenance than before it. Between hard cuts, pull dead leaf out by hand and remove spent flower spikes. Feed with a slow release native fertiliser low in phosphorus in early spring, particularly in the season following a hard cut back, and water through the first summer while the clump establishes. More in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/natives\"\u003enatives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 5 sizes, from 125mm up to 300mm, priced from $16.95 to $88.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311431889265,"sku":null,"price":88.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311431922033,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"175mm","offer_id":64311431954801,"sku":null,"price":21.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311431987569,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"125mm","offer_id":64311432020337,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/plantdrop-slender-mat-rush-lomandra-hystrix_0ff56600-a2f6-471e-a9c1-de8f41baa004.png?v=1785551805"},{"product_id":"lomandra-lm400-pbr-nyalla","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra 'LM400' PBR Nyalla","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat do you plant on a hot compacted verge that also floods twice a year? Nyalla is one of the standard answers. It is a fine leaved mat rush selection with a distinct blue grey cast to the foliage, upright at the base and arching at the tips, and it takes drought, poor soil and periods of wet without changing character.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat colour is worth thinking about before you order a pallet. Blue grey looks considered against render, gravel and other grey foliage, and it can look sickly beside bright green lawn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmall yellow flower spikes sit down inside the clump and are more often smelled than seen. The root system is fibrous and strong, which is why it holds batters and swale sides together.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNever shear it like a hedge. Cut whole clumps back hard in late winter every few years and let them reshoot from the base. Flat $99 delivery covers QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA on orders of $399 or more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 140mm up to 5L, priced from $17.95 to $30.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"5L","offer_id":64311437099377,"sku":null,"price":30.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311437132145,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/ZyuzmTJmDXMfpo6gud2bk_iYW9gX6T.jpg?v=1787629569"},{"product_id":"lomandra-longifolia-verday","title":"Spiny Headed Mat Rush - Lomandra longifolia Verday","description":"\u003cp\u003eVerday is a selected form of longifolia chosen for consistency, with deep glossy green leaf, narrower and more evenly presented than the wild plant, and a clump that stays upright and tidy instead of splaying open through the middle. Its practical distinction is wet tolerance: it takes inundation for days on end, then handles a dry summer once the roots are down. That combination is exactly what a bioretention plant has to do, which is why it lands on civil schedules for wet basins, swale bases and roadside verges.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBasin bottoms and batter faces\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt grows through most of the country, taking frost, coastal wind, heavy clay, engineered filter media and long dry spells, in full sun or part shade. Plant it at around 600 millimetre centres, roughly three per square metre, and closer at the base of a swale where cover has to close before the next storm event moves soil. It establishes quickly from small pots, which is what makes it workable at civil job quantities. Spring flower spikes are cream to yellow and honey scented, held on stiff prickly stalks tucked in among the leaves. The failure mode is thatch. Because it is tough and gets planted on sites nobody visits, dead leaf accumulates deep at the base year after year, and the clump slowly browns out through the middle while still looking green on top, which also builds a fire load in a rural setting. It needs a hard cut back on a cycle, not permanent neglect. Second point: leaf tips on any longifolia are genuinely sharp, so set it back from path edges and play areas rather than hard against them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eVerday or the straight species\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe comparison that matters is \u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-longifolia\"\u003eLomandra longifolia\u003c\/a\u003e itself. The seed grown species is larger, coarser and variable from plant to plant, which suits rough revegetation and looks uneven in a designed planting. Verday is uniform and finer, sits lower, and copes better with a basin that holds water, so it is the pick for anything that will be inspected or handed over to a client. Where a site is subtropical, shaded and damp rather than open and exposed, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-hystrix\"\u003eLomandra hystrix\u003c\/a\u003e gives softer brighter foliage and better form in low light, though it is less reliable through frost. And where the job is a low formal edge rather than a basin or a slope, no longifolia belongs in it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe three year renovation\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery three or four years cut the whole clump back hard in late winter, low and all at once, before new growth moves. That clears the thatch, resets the shape and gives clean regrowth by spring, and on a large planting a brushcutter does it faster than shears. Between renovations, pull out dead leaf by hand and remove spent flower stalks. Feed with a slow release native fertiliser low in phosphorus in early spring, particularly in the season after a hard cut back, and water through the first summer while the roots establish. More in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/natives\"\u003enatives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 3 sizes, from 125mm up to 200mm, priced from $16.95 to $29.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311444701553,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311444734321,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"125mm","offer_id":64311444767089,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/plantdrop-spiny-head-mat-rush-lomandra-longifolia-verday_388a6fc9-3657-46aa-838c-21e18e262d40.png?v=1785551843"},{"product_id":"lomandra-lime-tuff","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra Lime Tuff","description":"\u003cp\u003eLime Tuff is the compact selection in this range, a tight low rounded tuft of fine leaves in a bright lime green, several shades lighter than the olive and deep greens around it. The habit is what buyers are paying for: it holds a neat mound in a row without splaying open through the middle, so a line of them still reads as a line in year five. That makes it the mat rush for edges and repeat planting, along paths and driveways, in carpark islands and mass planted beds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIt is a mat rush, not a grass\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTreating it like a grass is the fastest way to wreck a planting. Lomandra does not bounce back from being scalped every winter the way a Poa or a Miscanthus does, and a row that has been brushcut to the ground annually goes hollow, woody and patchy within a few years, with gaps that never fill. Trim the tips to tidy the shape, and only cut a clump hard once it has genuinely gone open and woody through the centre. Beyond that it asks very little. It takes full sun through to part shade, low water once established, frost, poor compacted soil and periods of wet, which is why it turns up on so many commercial jobs and in so many strata gardens. For mass planting use 400 to 500 millimetre centres, about four to six plants to the square metre, which closes into continuous cover without the clumps crowding each other. Small pot sizes suit those quantities; the larger sizes give an instant finished border.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLime Tuff against the bigger mat rushes\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAgainst \u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-longifolia\"\u003eLomandra longifolia\u003c\/a\u003e the difference is scale and consistency. Longifolia is a big coarse plant grown from seed with visible variation between individuals, which suits a naturalistic batter and looks wrong in a formal row. Lime Tuff is uniform, low and fine leafed, so it belongs in the front row and along edges where longifolia would swamp the plants around it and overhang the path. If you are after a low mounded edge with blue foliage instead, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/festuca-glauca\"\u003eblue fescue\u003c\/a\u003e gives you the colour, but it needs a cool dry climate and lean gritty soil, where Lime Tuff simply keeps going through humidity, heavy soil and neglect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eTipping, hard renovation and feeding\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTip prune in late winter or early spring, taking only the top of the foliage to remove brown ends and even up a row before the new season growth starts. Save the hard cut back, close to the base, for a clump that has already opened out, and do that in late winter so fresh growth covers the stubble quickly. Do not let it become an annual habit. Feed in early spring with a slow release native fertiliser low in phosphorus, and again after any hard cut back. Water through the first summer, then rarely. More in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/mat-rush\"\u003emat rush\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 8 sizes, from 75mm up to 250mm, priced from $16.95 to $60.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311462429041,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"180mm","offer_id":64311462461809,"sku":null,"price":22.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"125mm","offer_id":64311462494577,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"130mm","offer_id":64311462527345,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"250mm","offer_id":64311462560113,"sku":null,"price":60.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311462592881,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75mm","offer_id":64311462625649,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100mm","offer_id":64311462658417,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/pd17-190-lime-tuff-lomandra-lomandra-lime-tuff_dc06849d-6752-414a-94c7-6d356843d185.png?v=1785551910"},{"product_id":"lomandra-frosty-top-pbr","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra Frosty Top PBR","description":"\u003cp\u003eVariegated lomandras are still uncommon in the trade, which is what makes Frosty Top useful. The fine strappy leaves carry a pale creamy edge that lightens a mass planting without you having to rely on flower, and the plant holds a neat evergreen fountain shape rather than sprawling into its neighbours.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a group these are among the most forgiving plants you can specify. Full sun through to part shade, low water once the roots are down, and enough tolerance of poor soil and dry spells to work on batters, in median strips and along driveways where irrigation is unreliable. The fibrous root system also makes it a sensible choice for holding a slope together.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCut clumps back hard every few years when they look tired; they come back clean.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvoid overwatering in shade, which is the quickest way to rot the crown.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKeep pale variegated foliage out of hot reflected heat traps, where the leaf edges can scorch.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eSupplied in 140mm, the practical size for mass planting runs and border edging.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 140mm, at $17.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311481532785,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/i-XT_RVRTuyYbjK5odyl9_2P6qHkwA.jpg?v=1787629863"},{"product_id":"lomandra-sir5-pbr-wingarra-tm","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra 'SIR5' PBR Wingarra TM","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor a mat rush that stays low and fine rather than turning into a wide, coarse mound, Wingarra is the selection to look at. The leaves are narrow, soft looking and slightly weeping, so a mass planting has movement and a finer texture than the tough longifolia types most people picture when they hear lomandra. Small, faintly scented flower spikes sit down in the foliage in spring.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt earns its place in the awkward spots: dry shade under established trees, narrow strips between a path and a fence, batters and swale edges where roots need to hold soil, and long repeated runs in commercial planting. Full sun through to part shade, and low water once it has a season in the ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe main thing to get right is pruning. Lomandras groom themselves reasonably well, so an occasional tidy and removal of spent flower stems is usually enough. If you do cut back, stay above the woody base. Cut into that and the plant either recovers slowly or does not come back at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 140mm up to 5L, priced from $17.95 to $30.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"5L","offer_id":64311490314609,"sku":null,"price":30.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311490347377,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/xkBtRqOLWmZ86wYyweizB_hodvFT5E.jpg?v=1787629995"},{"product_id":"lomandra-little-lime-pbr","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra Little Lime PBR","description":"\u003cp\u003eDesigners use lime toned foliage the way they use a pale wall, to lift everything sitting near it. That is the whole argument for Little Lime. It is a compact mat rush with fine, bright yellow-green leaves in a neat mound, and it does something no dark green lomandra can do: it reads clearly against charcoal render, dark mondo, purple cordyline or a shaded garden bed that otherwise disappears.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCulturally it is a lomandra, which means it is undemanding. Full sun to part shade, low water once established, moderate growth, and no real pest problems. Use it in repeated drifts, as a border along a path, in pots, or through mass planting where a hard edge needs softening.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo things affect the colour. Good light keeps it bright, but harsh reflected heat off western walls or paving can bleach and brown the leaf tips, so a little afternoon relief in hot inland gardens helps. Keep fallen leaf litter out of the crown, and remove old flower stems when they brown off.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSupplied in 5lt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 5L, at $30.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"5L","offer_id":64311490871665,"sku":null,"price":30.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/Jfmc83IyAwsvZe0FGquVk_xKsaUZDT.jpg?v=1787629995"},{"product_id":"lomandra-longifolia","title":"Spiny Headed Mat Rush - Lomandra longifolia","description":"\u003cp\u003eYou have seen thousands of these without registering them: road batters, carpark swales, bioretention basins and every second commercial garden bed in the country. Lomandra longifolia is the straight species, a large coarse plant with stiff deep green strap leaves held in a broad upright fan, and leaf tips sharp enough to matter. Its distinctive quality is a deep fibrous root plate that binds soil on a slope, then survives being ignored, mown around, flooded and baked. Erosion control on difficult ground is what it is genuinely for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhere the seedling species belongs\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt grows across eastern and southern Australia, including Tasmania, and handles frost, extended drought, coastal exposure, clay and poor fill without complaint. Full sun and part shade both suit it, and it needs water only through the first summer. In mass planting on a slope, work at 800 millimetre to one metre centres, one to two plants per square metre, because these clumps get big and crowding them wastes stock. Spring brings dense cream flower spikes tucked down among the leaves, strongly scented in the morning, followed by seed that germinates readily in nearby gravel. The failure here is specification. This is seed grown, so no two plants are identical in size, leaf width or vigour, and it is a considerably larger plant than the named cultivars. Across a batter that variation reads as natural. In a formal row along a townhouse driveway it reads as a mistake, and within a few seasons it has swallowed the path edge and started catching people on the legs. Buy it for scale and roughness, not for a tidy line.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecies or selected form\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you want longifolia toughness in a plant that stays even, buy \u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-longifolia-verday\"\u003eVerday\u003c\/a\u003e, a selected form with narrower glossier leaf, a tidier clump and better tolerance of a wet basin, and the one to specify where a landscape architect will be inspecting the result. For anything low, fine and formal, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/lomandra-lime-tuff\"\u003eLime Tuff\u003c\/a\u003e is the front row plant and this one is not. The straight species stays the right call for revegetation quantities, large scale batter work, bush regeneration and any site where the planting should look like it arrived on its own. It is also the one grown in the volumes those contracts call for, which the named selections are not.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe brushcutter cycle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRun a brushcutter or slasher over the whole planting every three or four years in late winter, cutting low, to clear accumulated dead leaf before new growth starts. Done at that timing it comes back clean within weeks and flowers the same spring. Doing it annually, or in the heat of summer, weakens the clumps and opens them up. Remove spent flower spikes on garden specimens if you want to limit self seeding into gravel and mulch. Feeding is optional on established plantings, though a slow release native fertiliser low in phosphorus in early spring helps a new mass planting close over sooner. More in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/mat-rush\"\u003emat rush\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 4 sizes, from 125mm up to 200mm, priced from $16.95 to $29.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"130mm","offer_id":64311494902129,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"125mm","offer_id":64311494934897,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311494967665,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311495000433,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/plantdrop-long-leaf-lomandra-lomandra-longifolia_61a34a15-da9e-4c4c-96c4-78a9982f79ae.png?v=1785552060"},{"product_id":"lomandra-lhbyf-pbr-katie-belles","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra 'LHBYF' PBR Katie Belles","description":"\u003cp\u003eKatie Belles is one of the taller, softer looking mat rushes, closer in character to the creek bank lomandras than to the tight little longifolia selections planted in carparks. Expect a full arching clump of fine glossy strappy leaves that moves in wind, with scented cream flower spikes sitting down among the foliage in spring.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt earns its keep on batters, swale edges and drainage lines, where the fibrous root mass holds soil and the plant copes with ground that is damp through winter and bone dry by February. Once the roots are down it runs on rainfall through most of the eastern states.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePlant with the crown at soil level. Burying it under mulch is the usual cause of rot in mass plantings.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRejuvenate by cutting the whole clump back hard every few years rather than shearing the tips, which only builds up brown thatch.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpace on a grid so clumps meet without crowding, since crowded plants thin out at the base.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eFlat $99 delivery covers QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA on orders from $399.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 140mm up to 5L, priced from $17.95 to $30.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"5L","offer_id":64311495065969,"sku":null,"price":30.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311495098737,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/Lh3XvlsQ2rHCbRdBDarsi_l8V8HnRd.jpg?v=1787629998"},{"product_id":"lomandra-seascape-pbr","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra Seascape PBR","description":"\u003cp\u003ePut this one where the conditions are ugly. Seascape is a mat rush selection with broad, blue green, gently arching leaves, chosen for coastal exposure and salt laden wind, and it holds that cooler blue tone which sets it apart from the fine bright green of the common Tanika types. Foliage stays on year round and growth is moderate, so a mass planting fills in without becoming a maintenance problem.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is at its best in the jobs it was bred for: broad mass plantings, batters and embankments where the root system holds soil, kerbside beds, and hard edges around car parks. Full sun to part shade both suit it, and once established it asks for very little water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaintenance is once every few years, not every season. Cut the whole clump back hard with a hedge trimmer or brushcutter in late winter so it reshoots evenly, rather than trimming the tips, which leaves every leaf with a blunt cut end. Supplied in 5lt, with flat $99 delivery to QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA on a $399 minimum order.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 5L, at $30.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"5L","offer_id":64311497195889,"sku":null,"price":30.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/0JaW2dFZ0kUonsTxDz9e_4khg6jpd.jpg?v=1787630064"},{"product_id":"lomandra-katrinus-deluxe-pbr","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra 'Katrinus Deluxe' PBR","description":"\u003cp\u003eLandscapers reach for Lomandra when a bank needs holding and nobody is coming back to weed it. Katrinus Deluxe is a longifolia type, so expect a dense fountain of arching strappy leaves rather than the stiff upright look of the fine-leaf mat rushes, and a fibrous root plate that knits into batters and swale edges. Flower spikes push up through the clump in the warmer months, cream to yellow and lightly scented, and the seed heads are prickly enough to notice when you weed by hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt handles full sun through to part shade and shrugs off dry spells once the roots are down, but it will also sit through periods of wet soil, which is why it turns up along drainage lines and detention basin edges. Two habits worth keeping: plant on the wide side, because crowded clumps brown out in the middle, and renovate by cutting the whole clump back hard every few years rather than trimming the tips, which just leaves a ring of cut ends.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 140mm up to 5L, priced from $17.95 to $30.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311508533617,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5L","offer_id":64311508566385,"sku":null,"price":30.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/j_bFr2Fa7Br7azqhVrySl_VJ2TynF9.jpg?v=1787630136"},{"product_id":"lomandra-dalliance","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra Dalliance","description":"\u003cp\u003eLomandra Dalliance is a named selection of mat rush grown for a finer, softer leaf than the common broad-leaved longifolia forms, making a tidy weeping tussock instead of a coarse clump. Foliage is green and strappy year round, and small yellow flower spikes appear among the leaves in spring, more scented than showy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt handles the jobs landscapers keep returning to lomandra for: mass planting on batters and road verges where the roots hold soil together, low borders that never need edging, car park islands, and the dry shade under established trees. Full sun through to part shade, and low water once the roots are down.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlant with the crown sitting proud of the soil and keep mulch out of the centre, because a buried crown rots. Water regularly for the first summer only. Every few years, cut the whole clump back hard in late winter to clear out the old leaf and let it reshoot. Delivery is a flat $99 to QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA on orders from $399.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 3 sizes, from 125mm up to 200mm, priced from $16.95 to $29.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311510925681,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"125mm","offer_id":64311510958449,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311510991217,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/TMWToCgXotWpogPdulJ-L_fT7kcyKb.jpg?v=1787630239"},{"product_id":"lomandra-little-pal","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra Little Pal","description":"\u003cp\u003eLittle Pal is one of the compact lomandras, a tidy tussock of fine, narrow leaves that holds its shape without much help. It sits low enough to run along a driveway edge or under a row of trees where a full sized mat rush would swallow the space.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat is the most common mistake made with this plant: spacing it as though it were Lomandra longifolia, which grows several times the size. Set it closer, in drifts, and it knits into a continuous green band.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvergreen and comfortable in full sun or part shade, it copes on low water once established and holds soil on batters and swale edges. Keep mulch off the crown, since a buried base invites rot in wet weather. Every few years, if the clump looks tired and full of old brown leaf, shear the whole planting back in late winter and let it reshoot clean rather than picking at individual leaves. Available in 140mm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 140mm, at $17.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311511679345,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/orDQwldgUXdcaoPxKCQeA_MNDgG00K.jpg?v=1787630240"},{"product_id":"lomandra-lm300-pbr-tanika","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra 'LM300' PBR TANIKA","description":"\u003cp\u003eTwo things separate Tanika from the coarse roadside mat rushes it gets confused with: leaf width and the way it ages. The foliage is fine and soft to the hand, arching into a rounded evergreen tuft rather than a stiff fan, and it holds a consistent green through frost, drought and periods of wet feet. Scented yellow flower spikes sit low in the clump in spring.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is a plant used in numbers, and that is where it works best: median strips, batter slopes, car park islands and long borders where every plant needs to match. Full sun to part shade, low water once established, moderate growth. Spacing is the mistake to avoid, since planted too far apart the gaps stay obvious for a long time and weeds move in. Every few years the clumps thicken and dull off, and a hard cut back with a brushcutter in late winter brings them straight back. Deep shade thins it out. Flat $99 delivery to QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA on orders over $399.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 140mm up to 5L, priced from $17.95 to $30.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"5L","offer_id":64311513022833,"sku":null,"price":30.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311513055601,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/xusE4txPS1DRhO14PDR8-_HtvT1Qdq.jpg?v=1787630242"},{"product_id":"lomandra-confertifolia-little-pal","title":"Mat Rush - Lomandra confertifolia Little Pal","description":"\u003cp\u003eLittle Pal is one of the fine-leaved Lomandra confertifolia mat rushes, building a soft hemispherical tuft of narrow strappy blades that move in the slightest breeze, a far more delicate texture than the broad-leaved longifolia selections it usually sits beside on a nursery bench. Small cream flower spikes sit down inside the foliage in spring and carry a light scent on a warm evening. It is used for mass planting, borders and erosion control, where the fibrous root mass genuinely holds soil on batters and swale edges.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLitter in the crown is what kills it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt takes full sun to part shade, needs little water once established, and grows at a moderate rate on soils from sand to clay loam provided they drain. Frost is not a problem through temperate districts. The failure mode is specific to fine-leaved lomandras and it catches people out: the dense tuft traps fallen leaf litter, and through a humid summer that trapped material composts down in the crown and rots the centre of the plant out, leaving a dead middle ringed by living leaves. Under deciduous trees or below a gutter line it is at its worst. Comb or rake the litter out of the clumps rather than leaving it there, and do not pile mulch over the crowns when the bed is topped up. The other practical matter is spacing. Plant at roughly five to seven per square metre so the tufts knit into a continuous mass, because set further apart the bed reads as scattered clumps of grass for years while weeds fill the gaps. Leave the flower spikes on when they come, since the scent carries on a warm evening and the spent stems vanish inside the foliage anyway.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFine mat rush against the other strappy natives\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/poa-labillardieri\"\u003eCommon tussock grass\u003c\/a\u003e is the softer, blue-grey option for a meadow effect and for ground that sits wet in winter, though it needs a hard cut back every second or third year where Little Pal can go longer between resets. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/flax-lily-dianella-clarity-blue-pbr\"\u003eClarity Blue\u003c\/a\u003e flax lily is stiffer, more upright and blue-grey, made for carpark islands and hot verges where a strong contrast against concrete is wanted. Choose Little Pal where the planting sits close to people, in a garden bed or along a path, and the fine texture and movement will actually be seen. Where the site is a sand-blown coastal frontage rather than a garden, neither is the answer and knobby club rush is the tougher specification. More in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/mat-rush\"\u003emat rush\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eResetting a planting every few years\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eCut back hard to about a hand span above the crown every few years in late winter, taking the whole planting at once so it comes back evenly, and clear the debris away afterwards. Annual trimming is not needed, and cutting into the woody base of a very old clump is better avoided, so replace those rather than fighting them. Feeding is light work, with a low-phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, particularly after a hard cut back. Watch for scale in still humid positions and clear built-up litter out of the crowns each autumn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 140mm, at $17.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/low-water-gardens-australia\"\u003elow water gardens\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311513710961,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/pd17-196-little-pal-lomandra-lomandra-confertifolia_31c16ab9-c2f9-4b4d-bc31-424092553f8f.png?v=1785552148"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/collections\/pd17-196-little-pal-lomandra-lomandra-confertifolia_31c16ab9-c2f9-4b4d-bc31-424092553f8f.png?v=1787348934","url":"https:\/\/plantdrop.com.au\/collections\/mat-rush.oembed","provider":"Plant Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}