Westringia fruticosa is a versatile, dense, evergreen shrub that resembles boxwood with its bushy foliage and similar landscape applications. However, its small, pointed grey-green leaves and delicate white flowers set it apart. White Westringia is a drought-tolerant alternative to traditional boxwood hedges. With its dense, rounded growth habit, it’s ideal for hedges, borders, groupings, or as a versatile addition to any garden.
The original species, Westringia fruticosa, is easy to grow and provides structure to both formal and informal gardens. Known for its ability to withstand heavy pruning, it offers endless design possibilities—from tightly clipped geometric shapes and whimsical topiaries to formal borders. This broad-growing Westringia shrub gets 4 to 6 ft. tall and 6-12 ft. wide, making it ideal for accentuating gateways, entrances, or driveways as manicured shrubs or hedge. A waterwise Australian shrub, it thrives in both coastal and arid inland climates, tolerating wind, sea spray, and the wet soils often associated with bioswales.
Westringia fruticosa is also known as Westringia rosmariniformis or White Coast Rosemary. Its white flowers, which resemble rosemary flowers but are slightly larger, bloom in spring and sporadically throughout much of the year. While the common name "coast rosemary" refers to the leaf shape's resemblance to Rosmarinus, Westringia leaves are neither edible nor fragrant like those of common rosemary
