Illawarra dwarf bleeding heart: Homolanthus stillingifolius

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This is Homolanthus stillingifolius or dwarf bleeding heart, a reasonably rare shrub growing in the Illawarra area. I was given this as a seedling from a neighbour who was a bush carer and collected the seed. Its leaves look like miniatures of the regular bleeding heart, they are delicate and light up easily in the sun.

I have read that Homolanthus stillingifolius grows in dryer areas as an under storey, this makes it an extremely useful plant. It has a luscious look about it and is the perfect height for screening fences as seen here. It also may have a tendency to colonise an area which is great for weed suppression. Does anyone else have experience growing this in their garden?

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Comments

One response to “Illawarra dwarf bleeding heart: Homolanthus stillingifolius”

  1. It is a fast growing plant, it needs a trim back, regularly, as it can get a bit leggy, it does sucker.
    I get occasional runners and little plants coming up a metre away. They stand out in the mulch and I can pot these up and give to friends.

    You would not buy this plant for it’s flowers or fruit as they are not showy. It is the foliage that I really like.

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