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Australian Native Plants

Bursaria spinosa

21 years ago

I have noticed that Bursaria grows just about all over the eastern seaboard of Australia. On the Central Coast of NSW I grow it for habitat and it appears to grow much bigger here than in Victoria.

I am trying to prune it back a bit so it fills out more. Have others had any experience in trimming it to shape?

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Comments (3)

gregaryb
21 years ago
I don't have any direct experience as yet (mine are still small and I have only just started pruning) however I am told that they can be hedged.

Around here (Melbourne) they tend to develop a bit of a trunk or two and grow to a height of about 3m perhaps. They vary from tall and slender to spreading.

From mine it seems to take quite a bit of early tip pruning effort to defeat the dominant shoots that so easily develop. However I am presuming that, once enough lateral shoots have been encouraged, the ability of any of them to become dominant will diminish and pruning effort will lessen. Indigofera australis seems to be similar in this respect.
Robert_NSW
Original Author
21 years ago
The interesting thing is the variation in form within the species. I reckon this plant has potential in gardens. Some of my plants are 3 metres high after three years and with regular tip pruning. Others are quite a bit shorter. I have about twenty growing at present. Some a much more vigorous than others. Whilst it may be due to different soil etc., I am sure the species varies a lot.

The flower display can be quite attractive as well. I have got mine from bush regen nurseries and am of the opinion that with careful selection Bursaria could have good potential in home gardens.

The smaller birds are increasingly using them for hiding in when they feed off the banksias, Grevilleas etc.

I have seen them growing up on the Central Highlands of Victoria, around Caslemaine, where I used to spend a lot of time. They were much more stunted there.
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gregaryb
21 years ago
Being stunted may just as well be an environmental imposition on an individual as a genuine genetic variation however.

We have a population of Bursaria spinosa, along the Darebin Creek, that does not have the usual thorns.

I must say that I am not a fan of developing all the variation out of a potential garden species. Variety is the spice of life, so the saying goes, and part of being more ecologically sensitive is in maitaining at least some level of variation in garden species.

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