Coastal rosemary (Westringia)

Westringia fruticosa

Compact rounded evergreen Australian native shrub with grey-green rosemary-like leaves and small white or pale lilac flowers throughout the year. The most widely planted Australian native hedge plant.

Hardiness ratings

Coastal rosemary (Westringia) hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 9–11 −6.7 °C to 10 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H3 −5 °C to 1 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 9 −1 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 3–7 −5 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Standard Australian native hedge and low windbreak — clips well, tolerates salt and wind, drought tolerant once established, virtually pest free
  • Not related to true rosemary (Rosmarinus / Salvia rosmarinus) — Westringia is in the mint family Lamiaceae but the foliage and habit are similar
  • Compact cultivars (‘Smokey’, ‘Mundi’, ‘Wynyabbie Gem’) cover almost every garden role from low edging to medium windbreak
  • Flowers throughout the year in mild climates — useful continuous low-key bee forage
  • Not reliably hardy outdoors in Canada — Canadian zone values shown represent the system maximum and do not imply garden cultivation north of the warmest coastal pockets.

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Coastal rosemary (Westringia) against your zones

Reference

Coastal rosemary (Westringia) on Wikipedia