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Story by Lynda Stallworthy and Margaret Chapman
Photographs by Lynda Stallworthy
Gardening in New Zealand is about as diverse as it gets. From alpines to English-style borders and trees to desert style gardens and to tropicals, you can grow them somewhere in New Zealand.
Gardening presents new challenges, and new opportunities, and nowhere more so than in the warmer climates in many regions, not just the far north.
Areas with a mild, sub-tropical climate cannot grow many temperate plants that require a winter chilling, yet there are many, many tender plants that more than thrive is these conditions. Why struggle with miserable and mildewed temperate climate plants when you can grow palms, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Australian frangipani, Gloriosa supberba lilies, bromeliads and many more? There is a wide range of sub-tropical to tropical plants that those gardening in cooler climates covet enviously.
A walk around a Whangarei garden illustrates this perfectly. This garden has used bromeliads extensively and in innovative ways to create striking plantings, structure and scale with a family of plants that are, in the main, low growing. Planting up ponga logs (left) and tree trunks creates bromeliad 'trees'. Pots are given stands to increase the height of plantings, and everywhere contrasts of form, colours and texture are considered within the overall scheme.
Palms and Tree Ferns
Palms are used extensively in this garden, to give height, and to create emphasis and focal points. Below, striking Trachycarpus fortunei, the Chinese windmill palm, makes a stunning backdrop for a potted Xeromena callistemon, the native NZ Poor Knights Lily, a lovely foliage plant which will astound with its bottle-brushes of rusty red flowers in early summer. T. fortunei has leaves 1.0-1.2m across on toothed stems, and grows to 10.0m in areas with warm winters (in very warm climates it will reach twice that).
A low growing, structural palm for the border is Cycas revolta, the sago palm, which is usually about 0.8-1.0m tall, growing only very slowly to 3.0m. The leaves are up to 1.0m long and much divided into leathery, narrow segments. We show the male form of this palm (above).
Another smaller palm is the dwarf phoenix, Phoenix roebelinii. Fine-leaved, it will grow slowly to 2.0m and create a wonderful focal point in your planting.
Planting for Shade
The tropical garden needs light shade for the under-storey plants to thrive, as most require part-shade and a moist environment. In medium-sized to larger gardens plant the lovely native Titoki, Alectryon excelsus, (4.0-8.0m) or Jacaranda mimosifolia which has blue flowers in summer and will grow to 7.0m.
Australian frangipani, Hymenosporum flavum, is a good choice in smaller gardens. For bold foliage try the New Zealand native Puka, Mertya sinclairii, with its deep green, paddle shaped leaves. M. denhamini is smaller and less striking. Tibochina has lovely foliage and T. urvilleana (syn. Lasiandra and T. grandiflora) carry spectacular deep, velvety flowers in darkest, papal purple in autumn and winter.
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A striking garden composition where pots lift the bromeliads to eye level
Trachycarpus fortunei
Bromeliad 'trees' made by
tying the plants to pongas
Xeronema callistemon, 'Poor Knights Lily'
Cycas revoluta
Australian frangipani
Hymenosporum flavum | |
