Choosing a Planting Location
Pick out a well-lit spot in your garden. Boronia can stand up to full sunlight, but does best with partial or dappled light. Try to set aside an area that receives no more than a few hours of direct exposure a day. The wall along the eastern side of your home or the edges of a bed shaded by larger plants can often make an ideal position. Keep your boronia out of wide open areas and window hot spots where there’s no shelter from the sun. It’s especially important to protect boronia from the intense afternoon sunlight in midsummer, when high temperatures can scorch and dehydrate the leaves.
Test your planting soil. Pick up a soil testing kit from your local gardening supply store to find the acidity of your chosen growing site. Boronia prefers soil that's slightly acidic, with a pH balance somewhere between 5.5 to 6.5. Anything outside of this range will make it difficult for your boronia to survive. You can lower the pH of your soil by mixing in a small amount of ground limestone, or bring it up by adding soil sulfur. If your soil's pH is not suitable, you can also grow the plant in a pot using the appropriate soil. Choose a large pot with drainage at the bottom, as well as a well-draining soil.
Make sure your growing site is level and well-drained. Boronia is highly susceptible to root rot, which means flooding, pooling, or overly wet soil could become a serious problem. The simplest way to avoid moisture-related complications is to adding 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) of pea gravel to the bottom of the hole you dig while planting. The dense gravel will help filter out water that would otherwise saturate the roots of the shrub. Other materials, like compost or potting soil mix, can also work well in areas that are only slightly water retentive. Be sure to choose a location that isn't in danger of collecting runoff after a heavy rainfall.
Enrich dry soil with organic matter if necessary. If you're working with a clay or sandy soil type, a good amendment material can help make it more hospitable by infusing vital moisture and nutrients. Add a handful of peat moss, leaf mould, or kitchen compost to the loose soil, making sure it’s mixed in thoroughly. Once your plant blooms, you can fertilize it with a slow release granular fertilizer. Don't fertilize the plant right after planting, as this can burn damaged roots.
Keep your boronia sheltered from the wind. Boronia is easily damaged by strong winds, especially in warm, arid conditions. For this reason, it's a good idea to prepare your growing site away from open areas and narrow, gusty channels like alleyways that might intensify a light breeze. This will be doubly important if the place where you live is flat or has few surrounding trees. By following the same general guidelines you did for determining sun exposure, you can ensure that it gets just the right amount of airflow without being unprotected. Fences, rocks, trees, and large perennials can also protect boronias by acting as a windbreak.
Planting Boronia
Select your preferred species. The genus boronia contains 160 different species of flowering shrubs. Of these, boronia megastigma (brown boronia) and boronia heterophylla (pink boronia) are by far the most popular and easiest to cultivate in a home garden. Other types include B. ledifolia, B. umbellata, and B. repanda, all of which feature colorful flowers and intriguing leaf patterns. Any of these species may be a good fit for your garden, provided it offers the right growing conditions. Consult a gardening expert to find out which species of boronia has the highest chance of success in your region.
Purchase boronia from your local garden center or plant nursery. Most types of boronia are cultivated from cuttings rather than from seeds. For this reason, it’s common to buy them already potted. You can continue growing your plant in its original container, or transfer it to the soil later if you’d rather incorporate it into a larger flowerbed.
Plant boronia in early spring. The best time to take on the project of cultivating boronia is just after the last expected frost of the season. That way, the young plant won't be subjected to any drastic extremes in temperature. Wait until the weather warms consistently before attempting to transplant your potted specimen to outdoor soil. When properly cared for, some hardier species like B. crenulata and Tyagi Ruby can continue to put out new buds well into the following winter.
Dig a shallow hole. Use a hand trowel to scoop out a depression roughly twice as wide as the root system. It only needs to be about 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 cm) deep at the bottom, as the root systems of most species rest just below the surface of the soil. The dimensions of the nursery pot can serve as a useful reference if you’re not sure how wide or deep to dig. Be sure to remove any nearby weeds or other plants that may leach water or nutrients from your young boronia.
Place the boronia into the hole carefully. Remove the plant from its nursery pot before getting it situated, being careful not to damage the roots or lower stem. Your goal is to disturb the plant as little as possible during the transition. Once it’s in the ground, backfill the loose soil and tamp it down lightly to compact it and anchor the boronia. Right after planting, wet the soil around the shrub thoroughly to provide it with some much-needed moisture.
Plant multiple boronias in rows roughly 5 feet (1.5 m) apart. Leave about 3.5 feet (1.1 m) of distance between each plant. This will give them plenty of room to spread out as they grow and prevent them from competing for resources. Stick to one species per plot to keep growing conditions consistent.
Caring for Your Boronia
Mulch boronias with a layer of gravel. Distribute the gravel in a wide ring around the base of the plant starting about 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) from the stem. The dense pebbles will help keep the underlying roots cool and prevent precious moisture from evaporating under the heat of the midday sun. As an alternative to gravel, you can also use hardwood chips, plastic or rubber mulch, or large, flat stones, which can lend a pleasant aesthetic in ornamental gardens. A layer of hard mulch has also been shown to block the movement of fungal pathogens responsible for harmful diseases.
Water your boronia every 2-3 days, or as needed. There’s no hard and fast rule for when to water boronia, or exactly how much moisture they need. Generally, it’s best to keep an eye on the soil around the root zone and give it a good drink once it starts to dry out. Most young plants should take in about ⁄2 gallon (1.9 l) of water per day, while more developed specimens may need as much as 2.5 gallons (9.5 l). Take care not to overwater your boronia. Saturating the soil may drown the roots or leave them vulnerable to rotting.
Fertilize your boronia as soon as it blossoms. Around the time that the first buds begin to open, turn the soil at the base of the plant and apply a conservative amount of balanced, slow-release organic fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10 mix. You can also use a couple handful of native plant food. These substances will supply the boronia with the nutrients it needs to produce healthy, vibrant, long-lasting foliage. Untreated horse or cow manure is also a good choice for feeding growing shrubs. Boronia is well-adapted to soils that are lacking in nutrients, so it doesn’t require regular feeding.
Prune your boronia periodically. Inspect the plant for dead flowers, twisted branches, and suspicious looking offshoots once it begins flowering. Snipping away these imperfections stimulates and makes room for healthy growth. It also creates a more attractive shape, allowing you to modify your boronia according to your spatial needs. Expect to trim back up to a third of the plant’s overall size each time you prune. Resist the urge to remove late-blooming buds. These sometimes unfurl in phases and are not necessarily a sign of stunted growth.
Use a preventative insecticide to protect against infestation and disease. The exact chemical you'll need will depend on the species you're cultivating and the type of threat you're dealing with. Consult with a regional plant specialist to learn more about the types of pests and diseases found in your area. The most important thing is to treat your plants before pests and disease become an issue—otherwise, it may be too late to save them. A few of the pests that tend to target boronia include grasshoppers, black beetles, nematodes, stem borers, and psyllids. It may also be necessary to employ a separate fungicide if you live in an area where harmful invaders like phytophthora and botrytis are common.
Enjoy your boronia while it lasts. Boronia is a notoriously tough plant to keep around. Even if you do everything right, there’s a chance that it may not return after a single season. For this reason, the wisest thing to do may be to savor its wonderful scent and festive color at their peak and try not to get too attached. Most boronia plants will only live 4 to 5 years, even when grown in optimal conditions and tended to with great care. Paying close attention to your boronia and ensuring that its moisture, sunlight, and nutrient requirements are being met will make a big difference in increasing its lifespan.
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