Plant Profile: Correa

Correas are an extremely versatile group of plants. They can be used in very natural bush gardens right through to well-manicured French and English style gardens. They respond well to a good prune, and they hedge/shape really well. The best varieties for hedging or shaping are Correa pulchella (Salmon Correa) which is a local to South Australia; its leaves are close together so it can be shaped quite nicely. Look out for a variety called Coffin Bay, one of my favourites and it’s just a beautiful shrub. 

Species name:  Correa sp.

Common names:  Correa

Flower colours:  White, orange, pink, red, green

When it flowers: Late Autumn to Winter, but some also keep flowing through the year depending on the variety

Size: Small to medium shrub with some ground cover varieties available.

Effort to maintain: Easy as pie. Doesn’t require much maintenance really, it’s a set and forget plant but I’d still give it a feed twice a year with a quality native fertiliser.  Be sure to read the labels on any Correas you buy because some prefer more shade than others – just be mindful of this.