Along carpark edges, median strips and hot front fences from Brisbane to Adelaide, Indian hawthorn does work that nobody thanks it for. Springtime is one of the pink flowering selections: a rounded, dense shrub with leathery dark leaves, bronze tinted new growth, and a heavy spring flush of soft pink blossom followed by small dark berries.It is used for low hedging, kerbside mass planting and shrub borders because it takes full sun to part shade, low to moderate water, salt wind and reflected heat without complaint, and it holds a rounded shape with very little shaping.The one real problem is Entomosporium leaf spot, which shows up as purple-black blotches on the leaves and can strip a planting in a humid, wet spell. Reduce the risk by spacing plants for airflow, watering at the base rather than over the foliage, and raking up fallen infected leaves instead of leaving them under the bushes.Note the spelling. Catalogues list it as both Rhaphiolepis and Raphiolepis, so search both when comparing. Available in 140mm and 170mm.Choosing a sizeThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 140mm up to 170mm, priced from $33.90 to $43.90 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to coastal planting.
