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  1. Home
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How to grow and care for boronias

They're perfumed perfection, but these seasonal delights can be finicky. - by Jenny Dillon
  • 20 Aug 2020
How to grow and care for boronias

Your heart will miss a beat, then go aflutter when you take in their intoxicating smell. Next your heart will break when they curl up and die, leaving a hole in your garden and a searing ache in your memory for that sweet, citrusy, spicy aroma. 

Springtime is when the little brown boronia (B. megastigma) shrub is smothered with tiny, cup-shaped, yellow and brown flowers, putting out the sweetest of all smells in the season. Or there is the native rose (B. serrulata) or red boronia (B. heterophylla) that produce crowds of pretty pink, red or white cups with a milder but still profound perfume.

Boronias

The beautiful deep pink flowers of the native rose (B. serrulata) have an exquisite, rose-like scent and the leaves go bronze when the weather is cool

Getty

But like anything that has such exquisite properties, it doesn’t come easy. They can die within months of you planting them. Don’t blame yourself, however. This perfection is achieved because of its pernickety nature.

Here’s how you can nurture these beauties to last in your garden for longer.

Boronias
The flowers of the pinnate boronia (B.pinnata) don't have much perfume, but the leaves do!

Create the right conditions

Boronias hate humidity and soil that retains moisture (clay).

Too much moisture in the air encourages soil-borne fungi that cause the lower stems and crown to rot. There’s little you can do once this begins and the plant will eventually wilt and die.

Too much moisture in the ground can cause root rot. Boronia roots are relatively shallow and, while they need watering, they don’t need it hanging around their roots as happens in clay soils.

Survival tips:

  • Lower the humidity around the base of your boronias with a layer of gravel or rocks. This helps keep the roots cool.
  • Avoid the pooling of moisture around the roots by putting a layer of pea gravel at the base of the hole before you plant.
  • Recent grafted boronias have developed some resilience and are available through specialist native plant nurseries.
Boronias

The red boronia (B. heterophylla) is hugely popular with the cut flower trade, but you can go down a different path and grow the white form, 'Ice Charlotte', which is equally beautiful

Getty

Care for boronias

Climate 

Best grown in warmer, coastal areas.

Aspect

East or north-east under dappled sunlight, with protection from winds and afternoon sun.

Soil

Very well-drained, slightly acidic. Enrich with organic matter, well mixed in the soil but not too close to roots.

Watering

Water regularly; most boronias have weak and shallow roots that can dry out in summer. Keep water up when flowering begins, especially if winter has been dry.

Feeding

Small amount of slow-release fertiliser after flowering has finished.

Pruning

Regularly cut flowers to encourage new growth. Trim by about a third after flowering to keep it compact.

Boronias

If you crush the tiny leaves of the Sydney boronia (Boronia ledifolia) you'll get a strong, musky aroma

Getty

How to grow boronias in pots

Boronias are so finicky that you may need to consider them short-lived perennials. An alternative is to grow them in pots.

  • Choose a pot that is at least twice the size of your plant, about 30cm.
  • Opt for a terracotta pot as excess water seeps through the clay rather than lingering in the soil.
  • Don’t use a pot saucer, but put the pot on feet so excess water drains away.
  • Use quality potting mix with a couple of handfuls of slow-release native plant food.
  • Place in a sheltered courtyard or balcony that gets a couple of hours of morning sun a day.
  • Water and feed as you would if it is in your garden.
Boronias

Just to be contrary, the pinky lilac petals of the Sydney or showy boronia (B. ledifolia) close up when flowering is finished to look like a bud

Getty

Care for cut flowers

The best boronia flowers for keeping in a vase indoors and filling your rooms with their wondrous perfume are the brown boronia (B. megastigma) and red boronia (B. heterophylla).

  • Cut from bush when the flowers are starting to open out.
  • Strip leaves from stems that will sit in water. Put leaves in a shallow dish so that, as they dry out, they release more of their perfume.
  • Place in area free from draughts and out of direct sunlight.
  • Change water daily.
  • They are sensitive to ethylene so keep them away from fruit bowls.

Heaven scent

Boronias are among the most perfumed of Australian natives. The deep and lingering spicy, citrusy perfume comes from the oils in the plant’s leaves, flowers and fruits.

Hold up the leaves to the light and you can see the tiny oil glands popping up like pimples. Boronias are members of the Rutaceae family, where citrus also belongs.

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Jenny Dillon
Jenny Dillon
Jenny Dillon is the garden editor of Better Homes and Gardens. Her passion for gardening began in her mother’s huge vegetable patch and orchard in the country and now extends to the challenge of city plots, where the constraints are countered by the delights.

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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

Behind the scenes at a flower farm

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{headline}

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How to make beautiful flower pots at home

How to make beautiful flower pots at home

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How to grow azaleas

How to grow and care for epimediums

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Graham Ross's favourite camellias

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