This is a classic 70’s native garden plant, a WA species which doesn’t need to be grafted to grow elsewhere in Australia and for good reason it has stood the test of time.

Thryptomene saxicola ‘FC Payne’ is hardy and tough, growing and flowering through shade, frost, drought and a harsh prune. It enjoys a well drained soil however I have seen it growing in reasonably heavy clay without an issue.

The delicate pink flowers appear in Spring through Summer, however the photos in this post were taken in Winter of two species, one growing in ACT the other in NSW, as you can see both plants are flowering heavily.

The thing I love about Thryptomene saxicola ‘FC Payne’ is its soft weeping habit created by the long arching branches covered in tiny leaves and flowers, which are fragrant when crushed.

I also like the fact that it often gets mistaken for Geraldton Wax 🤣 which it a completely annoying native plant to try and grow in my area.

I can still see the lingering 70’s vibe hanging around this plant, this is why I urge you to prune, this will encourage more flowers and also stop it looking like a straggly forgotten ‘no maintenance’ native!

Thryptomene attracts butterflies and insects, which in turn attract small insectivorous birds. It looks great when combined with other low growing shrubs as it only reaches a metre at most.

I like to combine it with the blue grey of Acacia baileyana Prostrate or the limes of Acacia ‘Mini Cog’ it also works well with Silver foliage like Eremophila glare ‘Silver Ball’. So lets give this versatile native a new round in the gardening fashion cycle and treat it well and it will reward you with year round colour even in difficult dry shady spots.