Syzygium australe Winter Lights

Common Name:
Winter Lights Lilly Pilly

Description:
Syzygium australe ‘Winter Lights’ is a vibrant, compact-growing Australian native lilly pilly that offers year-round colour and reliable performance in a variety of landscape settings. It is especially known for its striking, copper-red new growth that intensifies during the cooler months, giving it the name Winter Lights. The lush, evergreen foliage matures to a deep, glossy green, creating a dense screen that’s perfect for hedging, privacy planting, or shaping into a neat formal border. In spring and summer, small white, fluffy flowers may appear, occasionally followed by pinkish-red edible berries that attract birds and add extra ornamental value. This hardy cultivar thrives in Melbourne's conditions, coping well with full sun to part shade, light frost, drought, and a variety of soil types including clay and sandy loam. It grows quickly, requires minimal maintenance, and responds well to regular pruning, making it an ideal choice for low-maintenance, colourful screening in both residential and commercial gardens.

Form:

• Shrub - Medium

• Shrub - Small

Mature Size:

• Height: 2 to 3 metres

• Width: 1 to 1.5 metres

Aspect:

• Full Sun

• Part Shade

Flowering:

• Flowers in Spring

• Flowers in Summer

Flower Colour:

• White

Key Attributes:

• Australian native

• Colourful Foliage (Copper-Red New Growth)

• Suitable for Hedging

• Suitable for Screening

• Suitable for Pots

• Bird Attracting

• Edible Fruit

• Drought Tolerant

• Fast Growing

• Low Maintenance

• Evergreen

• Frost Tolerant

Toxicity:
Not known to be toxic to humans or animals. Edible berries are mildly tart and may be used in jams or preserves.

Companion Plants:

• Acacia cognata ‘Mini Cog’

• Lomandra ‘Tanika’

• Grevillea ‘Fire Cracker’

• Callistemon ‘Slim’

• Westringia ‘Mundi’