Westringia ‘Wynyabbie Highlight’ (Australian Variegated Rosemary) - A compact evergreen shrub that grows to at least 3-4 feet tall and as wide with 1 inch long cream margined slender gray-green leaves that are whitish beneath and radiate out from the dark stems in evenly spaced whorls. The clusters of attractive mauve-pink flowers are produced throughout the year.
Plant in full sun to light shade. It is drought and seaside tolerant, and like 'Wynyabbie Gem' should take cold down to 25 degrees F.
This plant is a vegetative sport of Westringia 'Wynyabbie Gem', itself a hybrid between the coastal Westringia fruticosa and the inland Westringia eremicola. It is distinct from the parent plant with its more compact growth form and attractively variegated leaf margins. This plant was introduced in the US by Australian Native Plant Nursery. The name for the genus was given to it by Sir James Edward Smith, an English botanist and founder of the Linnaean Society in 1788. The name honors Dr. Johan Peter Westring (1753-1833), a botanist and physician to King Charles XIII of Sweden who was a student of Linnaeus.
We also grow the non-variegated selection of this plant, Westringia 'Wynyabbie Gem'and another hybrid Westringia Blue Gem as well as the species Westringia fruticosa and several cultivars of this species including the variegated forms Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light' and Westringia fruticosa 'Smokey' and the low growing Westringia fruticosa Mundi and Westringia fruticosa Low Horizon as well as the compact gray Westringia fruticosa Gray Box.
The information about Westringia 'Wynyabbie Highlight' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |