Pimelea linifolia [Thymelaeaceae] ; Slender Rice FlowerMoving from Aotearoa New Zealand to Sydney in 2019, I had high hopes for Australian representatives of the genus Pimelea. The natives on the east side of the Tasman make excellent garden plants, with many being mat-forming prostrate species with a beautiful density and glaucous hue.
Sadly, the most prominent local species Pimemea linifolia has been challenging (but not impossible) to find in cultivation, and so far it hasn’t lasted long in a garden for us.
One client, two years after planting day: “We lost all the pimeleas while we were away… they all went at once, though they flowered beautifully just before they died”
Next time we try it, it will be in nearly pure sand, to slow it down.
Or just treat them like an biennial.
