Fan flower (Scaevola aemula) is an excellent summer annual to grow in hanging baskets, window boxes, containers, or as a bedding plant.

Scaevola is best grown in full sun to part shade and does well in hot, dry summers. It prefers medium, well-drained soil that is kept evenly moist, but not wet. Allow the soil to dry out slightly before watering again to prevent root rot.

Scaevola aemula, the fairy fan-flower or common fan-flower, is a small shrub in the family Goodeniaceae, native to southern Australia. It grows to 50 cm in height and produces white or blue flowers in spikes up to 24 cm long from August to March in its native range. These are followed by rounded, wrinkled drupes to 4.5 mm in length.

The species occurs in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.

Most of these are mat-forming to a height of 12 cm and spreading up to 1 metre in width. It prefers a sunny or partially shaded, well-drained position and tolerates salt spray and periods of drought.

The species is thought to be the most commonly cultivated of the genus Scaevola, and a large number of cultivars have been developed.