Okay so it’s Christmas time again and we are swamped with imagery and tradition from the Northern Hemisphere.  Sure it’s fun but why not make plans to grow your own Australian Christmas decoration for next year?  Ditch the holly and plant a lillypilly instead.

Lillypillies produce beautiful fluffy flowers and edible berries ranging from white to pink to red.  The berries of many are on display around Christmas time and, when combined with the rich green foliage, make the perfect substitute for holly/mistletoe.

In recent years there have been a lot of new varieties of lillypillies released so you’re bound to find one that suits your garden.  The pictures shown here are probably of a variety of Syzygium luehmannii.  The owner can’t remember the exact cultivar name and I can’t identify it with any certainty.

And if you do plan to eat the berries be warned that most are tart or bland at best.  Recipes that involve lillypillies call for lots of sugar (like lillypilly jam) so picking straight from the shrub is really not recommended.  Until a sweeter variety is bred I say leave the berries for the birds to enjoy and have a strawberry instead!

PS Don’t forget to check out The Plant Addict Shop while you’re here. 

You’ll find great gift ideas for garden lovers and fellow plant addicts!