Philotheca myoporoides Flower Girl Pink - Eriostemon myoporoides

Eriostemon myoporoides 'Flower Girl Pink', now renamed Philotheca myoporoides 'Flower Girl Pink', is a horticultural variety of bush native to Australia, useful for regions with mild winters. This young plant develops into a medium-sized upright bush with dense, beautiful dark green vegetation, very aromatic to the touch. This leaf serves as a setting for the pale pink flowering, which blooms in spring. This long-lasting flowering sometimes begins as early as late winter, potentially continuing until early summer. Its small, star-shaped, waxy flowers earn it the nickname "wax flower". They spread a pleasant, sweet fragrance around the shrub, reminiscent of orange blossom. This plant prefers neutral to slightly acidic soil and thrives in partial shade in warm regions, where it withstands drought well once well-rooted. In cold areas, it is better to grow it in a pot so it can be brought into a cool place, protected from frost in winter.

Eriostemon belongs to the Rutaceae family, which includes very popular genera like Choisya ternata (Mexican orange blossom), or more obscure ones, such as Zanthoxylum (Sichuan pepper) and the large group of citrus trees. The Eriostemon genus, rather unknown in our latitudes, includes about 35 species of evergreen bushes from Australia, usually found in tropical forests, in the shade of large trees. The E. myoporoides species forms a shrub less than 3 m high, usually reaching 2 m, with shoots composing a more or less rounded silhouette.
The cultivar 'Flower Girl Pink' is a more compact version of the original species, usually measuring 1.50 m in height with a width of 1.20 to 1.50 m. Its silhouette is also slightly more upright, so it is sometimes used as a low hedge in Australian gardens. The leaf, similar to that of the botanical species, has a more refined colour, a beautiful medium to dark green. The thin, upright shoots are also green and bear slightly satiny, small, elongated leaves 3 to 5 cm long. Their lemony fragrance, noticeable when crushed, recalls their relation to Citrus. The bright, lively pink buds open into pale pink flowers. They measure about 2 cm in diameter and consist of five petals, giving them a star shape. In the centre of the corolla, a cluster of small stamens stands up, with orange anthers (containing pollen) at their tips. This nectar-rich flowering is beneficial for bees and other pollinators, and spreads a pleasant fragrance in the garden.
This magnificent bush with prolonged flowering adapts well to mild conditions where the climate is very temperate, as well as to slightly acidic soils. In the south, it should be planted under the light shade of other plants to protect it from intense sun. In regions with cold winters, it is necessary to grow it in a pot and bring it into a conservatory during winter. Although it withstands temperatures of -8 to -10°C for short periods when planted in well-draining soil, pot cultivation exposes the roots to cold and drastically reduces frost resistance.

Eriostemon myoporoides 'Flower Girl Pink' has a charming long flowering whose abundance compensates for the small size of the flowers, and both scented flowers and leaves. Combine it in a border with other plants evocative of the south like Acacia pravissima, a little-known Mimosa which is decorative in all seasons, particularly for its yellow flowering in March-April. Another very distinctive and spectacular spring-flowering plant is Callistemon rigidus, a bottlebrush with bright red flower spikes, also native to Australia, but with fairly good hardiness. To complete your scene, plant a Pittosporum eugenoides 'Variegatum', a beautiful variegated evergreen bush rarely seen in gardens, although it grows quickly, withstands pruning and drought, and produces very fragrant spring flowers.