Acaena microphylla
Red mountan bidi bidi, Red bidi bidi, Redspine sheepburr
- Height × spread
- 0.1m × 0.25m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
These are very small, prettily rounded and greenish bronze plants with a dense mat of foliage. Small rounded creamy coloured flowers are followed in late summer by the fruits; startling inflorescence that have starry looking rays. The pretty pink fruits are produced in profusion. They are prickled but not barbed and stand on little stems above the foliage mat. In the wild the plants is found growing in grasslands and dry riverbeds. It is equally suited to a life amongst paving stones, - but not where people walk barefoot. The plant stands around 10cm (4in) high with a 25cm (10in) spread. Give it a sunny site in reasonable soil that is well drained but moisture retentive.
- Flower colour
- White
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Fruit colour
- Red
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Prostrate
- Height
- 0.1m
- Spread
- 0.25m
- Season of interest
- Summer
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Small scale garden, Gravel garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade
- Soil type
- All types
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Ground cover
- Hazards
- Yes, fruit is prickly/thorny
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring - early-mid · Planting
Divide when too large
The plant can be divided if it becomes too large or another plant is required. This may involve physically dividing the clump in two, removing offsets or small bulbs or dividing rhizomes. The new plants can be grown in pots or planted in the ground.