Creeping Boobialla Myoporum parvifolium

Creeping boobialla runs flat along the ground on prostrate stems that root wherever they touch soil, which is how a row of small plants turns into one continuous mat rather than a row of mounds. Foliage is small, narrow and fleshy, studded through the warmer months with tiny white star flowers marked with purple that bees find long before you do, then small purple fruit. It is planted on batters, road verges and retaining wall tops, where the job is holding soil and covering ground quickly.

Fast cover on a dry slope, and what it is not

Full sun and free-draining soil are the two conditions. This is a plant of the drier southern half of the continent, happy on sand, gravel and shallow ground, tolerant of coastal exposure and needing little water once established. Growth is fast, so plants set about half a metre apart on a slope will close over in a season or two. The failure mode is foot traffic. It gets specified as a lawn substitute and it is not one: the stems are brittle, they snap where they are walked on, and the mat does not fill those tracks back in, so a line of dead patches appears within weeks and stays. Treat it as a look-only groundcover or run stepping stones through it. Plant slightly proud of the surrounding soil and keep mulch off the crowns, because collar rot is the second common loss, particularly under overhead irrigation or through a humid summer. One more thing to settle before planting: Myoporum foliage is regarded as toxic to livestock, so keep it out of paddocks, horse yards and anywhere stock can reach across a fence.

Which boobialla to order

This is the straight species, seed-grown and mid-textured, which makes it the sensible pick for revegetation and large civil areas where matching every plant matters less than covering ground. The named selections are more consistent. Broad Leaf carries wider, fleshier, brighter leaves and reads as a solid green sheet from a distance. Fine Leaf is narrow, almost needle-like and darker, and holds up better where there is air movement. Purpurea carries a bronze-purple flush that deepens in cold weather. Choose the species for volume plantings, and a named form when texture or colour is doing design work.

Shearing to keep new growth coming

Shear lightly once a year, in early spring or after the main flowering, taking the tips across the whole mat rather than cutting into old bare wood. That keeps growth coming from low down and delays the woody, open centre that older plants develop. Feeding is barely needed, and a light spring application on poor sand is plenty, since rich feeding produces soft growth that rots more readily. Expect to patch replant sections after a few years rather than treating the mat as permanent, and pull weeds early, because a thick mat is awkward to weed once it has closed over.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 2 sizes, from 70mm 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 Australian native trees.