The long leaf wax flower

Philotheca myoporoides, sometimes listed as Eriostomen myoporoides, is an Australian shrub native to Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria

This member of the Rutaceae family is a hardy shrub up to two metres tall with small but showy white, starry flowers and aromatic, glossy, green leaves.

When left to its own devices, it will form a large mound of foliage smothered with flowers which attract important pollinating insects into the garden.

The Rutaceae family include citrus plants which may explain the lovely spicy, lemony scent of the leaves when crushed.

Although it does not need regular feeding, it will benefit from an occasional addition of a citrus fertiliser.

The flowers form in the leaf axils in groups of three to five buds on 1cm long stems. The buds are pink or red and open to white star shaped flowers.

Blooming starts in the spring and continues into the autumn, sometimes with sporadic flowering occurring all year long in moderate climates.

The long leaf waxflower is hardy and will withstand periods of drought and frost once established.

It can be pruned to make an informal hedge, grown as a specimen plant in a border or in a container.

Being a woodland plant, it will need some shade during the hottest part of the day and a rich, well drained, acidic soil.

Propagation is from cuttings of semi ripe wood.