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Australian Grass Tree

Xanthorrhoea preissii

A skirt of fine leaves on a woody trunk — heavy, wet ground will finish it long before any pest does.

Light Full sun
Height 3 m
Spread 4 ft 11 in
Spacing 150 cm

Spacing & sowing

Plant spacing
4 ft 11 in
In-row spacing
4 ft 11 in
Between rows
6 ft 2 in
Square-foot density
Not suited to SFG

Growing

Type
Grass · Perennial
Botanical family
Mixed / other
Sunlight
Full sun
Feeding
Gentle all-organic
Frost tolerant
Yes
Flowering
May

Through the year

  • Mar–May Spring Growth
  • May–Dec Flowering
  • Jan–Mar Flowering

Companions

Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos), Grevillea, Banksia, Lomandra

Pests & problems

Garden allies

Beneficial predators that hunt this plant's pests — grow their favourite flowers nearby to recruit them. companion plant

  • Hoverfly Syrphidae
    Hunts Scale insects

    Bee-mimicking flies whose legless larvae graze aphid colonies clean while the adults pollinate. A ribbon of shallow, nectar-rich flowers kept in bloom all season recruits wave after wave of them.

    Plant nearby CalendulaChamomileFennelFrench marigoldPhaceliaSweet alyssum
  • Ladybird (lady beetle) Coccinellidae
    Hunts Scale insects

    The gardener’s favorite ally: adults and their alligator-shaped larvae each eat thousands of aphids, plus scale, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied sap-suckers. Grow flat, open flowers for the adults and never spray a colony that ladybird larvae are already working.

    Plant nearby CalendulaCilantroCosmosDillFennelYarrow

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