thanks for your help in anticipation!!

hello,Anne, I think it would be easier and quicker for you to just google Duranta repens for yourself. There is a huge amount of info on the web.

Hi Anne ... I'm a fellow Queenslander and have quite a few Duranta repens growing on my property. They're sometimes sold as Duranta erecta as well.

They're native to central and south America, can grow to around 5 metres tall and need full sun. Leaves are light green or variegated (I have both) and ovate shaped.

Flowers are what I would call lavender and they come out in a cluster at the end of the branches. Each petal on the flower has a white eye and a light lavender border on the edge. They bloom almost all year round.

Duranta repens have bright orange-yellow berries that follow the flowers ... sometimes you can have both flowers and berries on the shrub at the same time.

They will grow in almost any soil type and need very little water once established. Terrific as a screening hedge ... but if you want them nicely trimmed, be careful as the branches have thorns.

I haven't found that they are troubled by any pests or disease ... and they attract lots of bees and butterflies, as well as birds like the Sunbird.