Boronia megastigma Tui

Boronia megastigma 'Tui' is a lovely selection from the Brown Boronia, a remarkably aromatic Australian bush from which a highly appreciated essential oil is extracted for perfumery. It forms a beautiful bush with an upright and dense habit, adorned with fine and dark foliage, and adorned in spring with numerous beautifully bicoloured flowers, brown with a golden green heart, and wonderfully fragrant. Not very hardy, this Boronia can only be grown in the ground in the most sheltered gardens in mild coastal regions. As the plant performs very well in pots, gardeners in more continental climates can admire it on the terrace throughout the summer, pick its flowers to compose original and fragrant bouquets, and bring it indoors in winter, protected in a greenhouse or a slightly heated conservatory.

Boronia megastigma 'Tui' is a bush from the Rutaceae family, native to southwestern Western Australia, where it is found in wet areas, often in partial shade on the edge of forests, on poor and acidic soils. Its species name, megastigma, refers to the large size of the stigma in the centre of the flower. It grows rapidly, but has a short lifespan, reaching its adult size in 3 years. It has an upright, dense, and generally oval habit, reaching a maximum height of 1m (3ft 4in) with a spread of 90cm. It develops thin ascending and villous branches, with almost parallel branching at each node along their entire length. They bear small leaves divided into 3 narrow and pointed leaflets, which release an intense aroma when crushed. The flowering, which is rather long, takes place in spring, in April-May in our latitudes. A multitude of solitary flowers hang from the stem at the axils of the leaves. They are small pendulous bells, 1 to 2cm (0.4 to 0.8in) long, composed of 4 brown-pink petals on the outside, but yellow-green on the inside. They are very pleasantly fragrant.

Boronia megastigma 'Tui' cannot tolerate temperatures below -5°C (23 °F), it does not tolerate limestone, dry or poorly drained soils, and prefers partial shade. This means that the bush has some requirements, and they must be respected in order to succeed in its cultivation and enjoy its strong personality. Outside of certain well-targeted areas of our Atlantic coast, it is preferable to grow it in a pot, where the substrate and wintering conditions can be controlled. In the garden, it can be associated, for example, with Galvezia speciosa, Gomphostigma virgatum, Diosma, Dierama, or even with white or red shrubby heathers.