Chef’s cap correa is one of my favourite landscape plants. Not because it is especially showy or spectacular, but it makes a great low background or filler to allow for some contrasts in the garden.
It is an appealing plant in itself however. It flowers right through winter with its dainty, creamy ‘chefs cap’ bell which give an appearance of little hanging candles. The flowers are also attractive to small honeyeaters. The foliage is neat and attractive with brown red stems and petioles. The glossy dark green leaves also have the delightful bonus of curiously having a aroma of Juicy Fruit chewing gum when crushed.
Correa bauerlenii grows to about 1.5m with similar spread. It is happy to have a tip prune to keep it thickened up, but looks attractive if allowed to be a little open. It works well in a neat formal garden or a more casual native garden. It grows well in shady spots and is also drought tolerant, which are handy attributes for those difficult spots.
It originates from East Gippsland and southern NSW along the coast.