A 'Natural' Native Border If you don't have the climate for a tropical border, there is still plenty of drama and interest in the native garden. Native plants in a naturally styled border will almost certainly include hebes, invaluable plants with lovely form, foliage and the bonus of summer flowers.
Try teaming one of the purple flowered hebes (H. 'Sandra Joy' or H. 'Inspiration') with yellow flowered 'Senecio' (Bracyglottis x 'Sunshine') for a stunning colour contrast in summer, and the bonus of the contrast of glossy deep green leaves with the silvery, felted Senecio.
The phormiums (flax) and astelias provide spiky foliage and structure. Phormium tenax is a big plant (potentially a thug that requires a lot of hefty assistance to remove). The smaller Phormium cookianum is more restrained. These natives look wonderful with massed native grasses and contrasting with the rounded shapes of hebes, olearias and small trees. Try combining grasses with the bold foliage of Astelia 'Silver Spear', or the deep glossy leaves of the hebes as shown below.
On a smaller scale, spiky Libertia ixiodes or L. peregrinans (New Zealand iris) will add emphasis to a corner or path end in your scheme as here below. L. ixiodes and L. grandiflora are both admirable garden subjects.
Other hebes will give wonderful structure to your planting. H. topiaria is a neat dense mound of grey-green that will keep its shape for many years. H. cupressiodes has a conifer-like appearance, providing lovely foliage contrasts, and a neat shape. You can edge your border with old logs, providing a textural contrast with the grasses and fine-leaved hebes. Introducing a group of cordylines or Pseudopanax crassifolium (lancewood) for vertical emphasis would further extend this natural scheme.
A tree will add scale to your scheme, lifting the eye and creating a more balanced design. If you have only a small garden then select a tree that is in scale with your garden (remembering that a few well-chosen larger plants will look better than a host of itsy-bitsy, tiny plants). A lovely idea for an entrance garden uses Cordyline australis (Cabbage tree) underplanted with hebes. The hebe's rounded shape and fine leaves are a perfect counterfoil for the bold shape and strap-like foliage of the cordyline (previous page).
The New Zealand kowhai (Sophora microphylla or S. tetraptra) will provide light shade, scale and hanging clusters of brilliant yellow flowers each spring are a joy.
If your climate is suitable, plant a titoki (Alectryon excelsus). A wonderful speicmen tree that is good for screening. Everyone knows the pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsus). Eventually a large tree, it can be pruned judiciously to contain its size. There are smaller cultivars such as M. excelsus 'Scarlet Pimpernel'. Both pohutukawa and kowhai can be difficult to underplant when mature - try Anthropodium cirrahtum (rengarenga lilies) or astelias.
Pittosporums include some lovely small trees that will quickly form an effective windbreak or screen your garden from the street. The matipo (P. tenufolium) is perhaps the fastest of these and great shelter. The variegated forms such as P. x 'Irene Patterson' and P. x 'James Stirling', both silver and white, are useful for contrast, and smaller growing P. x 'Tom Thumb' has black leaves that become purple. The lemonwood (P. eugenioides) has lemon-scented flowers each spring and the karo (P. crassifolium) white-felted new foliage and small red flowers in spring. Another attractive and similar small tree is Myrsine australis, with crinkled, reddish leaves and red stems.
Akeake, Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea' (left) and D. viscosa, are elegant small trees, plus good shelter and copes with dry periods. Pseudopanax crassifolius, lancewood, has an interesting, spiky juvenile form that develops in time into a round-headed small tree- neither space consuming nor shade casting. Treasure it if you have one.
Five-finger (P. arboreus) has a rounded form and deep green glossy foliage, a perfect counterfoil to brighter plantings, grasses and flaxes. P. lessonii is a tougher species suited to coastal and drier gardens.
Don't forget the climbers. Clematis paniculata (syn. C. indivisa) is the lovely, spring flowering white clematis that will twine through your trees and shrubs. Try also C. foetida and C. forsteri, both of which have small flowers and a sweet scent.
You can design and plant a lovely native garden with the many, many natives that are readily available today.
Hebe speciosa hybrids and Bracyglottis x 'Sunshine' - brilliant contrasts
Astelia 'Silver Spear' contrasts with native grasses
Libertia peregrinansmakes a golden 'punctuation mark'
Titoki leaves are glossy, bright green and pinnate
Glossy, wavy-edged leaves of Lemonwood, Pittosporum eugenioides
Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea'
Gardens with Native Plants Explore as many native gardens as you can. Start in your local botanic garden.
Especially visit the Otari Native Botanic Garden in Wellington holds a series of 'Open Days' each September, including a Plant Sale (see Garden Events). Be there!
NZ Native Clematis paniculata
(syn. C. indivisa of gardens)
More Garden Style and Design Books on New Zealand Plants
Explore as many native gardens as you can. Start in your local botanic garden.
