Westringia Zena for a Charming and Resilient Garden

The Westringia Fruticosa ‘Zena’ is a hardy and compact plant that’s best for various garden styles. Its compact size makes it suitable for a low hedge and smaller gardens. If you have a smaller space to allot for a garden, this Australian rosemary plant is for you. 

Appearance-wise, it features a dense grey-green foliage and pale mauve to white blooms, which can be quite the spectacle for most of the year. They respond beautifully to clippings and shapings, making them an excellent hedge and topiary specimen evocative of formal gardens. This plant is also well-favoured by local gardeners for their drought tolerance and minimal care requirements. 

Ready to transform your garden with this hardy native? Here's a comprehensive guide to help you get started.

How to Plant Westringia Fruticosa ‘Zena’?

If your garden needs another hardy plant to boost your outdoor space’s charm and resilience, Westringia Zena is worth considering. Here are essential planting tips to ensure a lovely and healthy plant: 

• Choosing the right soil and the right location for planting makes a great deal of difference. When it comes to Westringia Zena, pick a sunny to partially shaded location with well-draining soil. Specifically, this plant thrives in sandy or loamy soils, common in coastal areas.
• After choosing the perfect spot for planting, you can now improve soil structure by adding compost or organic matter. Do as necessary to improve drainage and nutrient content.
• Once planted, water thoroughly to help settle the soil around the roots.
• When planting multiple Westringia plants, spacing is essential. Make sure they’re spaced about 1 to 1.5 metres apart for decent air circulation and optimal growth.
• When it comes to mulching, do it around the base of the plant can help to retain moisture, put out weeds, and control soil temperature.

Why Should You Buy Westringia Fruticosa ‘Zena’?

Westringia Fruticosa Zena offers not only aesthetic appeal but also several practical benefits, great for any of your outdoor space ideas, some of which we’ve listed below:

• Attractive Foliage: Westringia fruticosa’s lush, silver-grey foliage is a great addition to any gardens, smoothly contrasting with other plants. 
• Low Maintenance: Once established, this plant doesn’t need much care and maintenance, an appealing attribute for busy and newbie gardeners alike. 
• Compact Size: Growing to around 1 metre in height and width, Zena is easily suitable for small spaces. It can also work as a neat border, hedge or a screening plant thanks to its compact habit.
• Drought Tolerance: Westringia Zena’s hardiness makes it well-suited for Australian gardens since it can tolerate dry and coastal conditions. 
• Frost Tolerance: Once established, Zena can also withstand light frost, making it one of the most resilient plants ever. 

How to Care for Westringia Fruticosa ‘Zena’?

Westringia Zena is impressively hardy, but it still needs some care and attention especially in the beginning. Once established, the occasional monitoring is still recommended to ensure your plant has no ongoing problems like pests or diseases. 

With these easy care steps, Westringia Zena will thrive and maintain its fancy appearance:

• Water regularly when first planted, but once established, water only on dry periods.
• Fertilise annually. Specifically, feed with a slow-release native plant fertiliser in spring to promote healthy growth.
• Light pruning after flowering will encourage thicker and new growth, as well as help retain its compact form. Prune back any leggy growth, but only as needed. Read our guide to pruning plants to learn more. 
• Although hardy and can tolerate light frosts, you may need to protect young plants in colder climates. Mature plants, meanwhile, will also be fine with mild frost. 

Things to Consider When Growing Westringia Zena

Westringia Zena is incredibly hardy - being frost, salt and wind tolerant all at the same time. This means the plant can grow and thrive anywhere. Nonetheless, there are factors that need considering for best results. 

First, is its suitability to very cold areas. But while younger plants can tolerate low frost and mature plants can withstand mild frost, Westringia Fruticosa Zena may struggle in areas that experience very cold winters.

Pruning is also required when growing this Westringia variation even though it’s supposed to be low-maintenance. Without pruning, the plant can become unruly, losing its charming and clean aesthetic. This plant is also sensitive to poor drainage, leading to root rot if not addressed quickly.

When grown in ideal conditions, the Westringia Fruticosa plant can become invasive, spreading aggressively and overshadowing other garden plants. Lastly, Westringia Fruticosa’s small blooms may not be enough for gardeners who prefer flowering plants that produce big, noticeable flowers. 

Treating Westringia Zena for Signs of Pests and Diseases

Westringia Zena is hardy and resistant to most pests and diseases. However, aphids and scale insects can still plague the plant. When an infestation occurs, the most common solution applied is either an insecticidal soap or neem oil. 

Fungal diseases can also affect Westringia Fruticosa due to poor drainage. You can easily be proactive about this issue by ensuring proper drainage and avoiding overwatering. Not sure whether you're overwatering or underwatering your plant? Find out using this guide.

Where Can I Buy Westringia Fruticosa ‘Zena’?

Looking to add this reliable Australian native to your garden? You can find Westringia Zena right here at the Local Botanist. Browse for more green additions and create your dream garden with our wide selection of plants.

You can also discover the garden style that’s right for you by taking our Garden Style Quiz.

Companion Plants for Westringia Fruticosa ‘Zena’

Westringia Zena fits seamlessly into a range of garden styles and pairs well with other drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plants. Some ideal companion plants include:

• Coastal Rosemary: A larger cousin of Zena, it complements with similar foliage but a stronger growth habit.
• Wynyabbie Gem: This Australian native plant easily captures attention for its charming flowers.
• Lavandula The Princess: Bred in Australia, the deep pink flowers  and grey-green foliage of The Princess pairs well with the subtle blooms of Westringia Zena. 
• No Mow Grass: These grasses add movement and texture when planted alongside Westringia. Even better, they’re also low maintenance with unique features and landscaping benefits!