PLANTING OPTIONS
SHRUBS TO BE CLIPPED INTO MOUNDS OR ROUNDED SHAPES
Choose one species: try Pittosporum ‘Golf Ball’, silver
germander (Teucrium fruticans), Californian lilac
(Ceanothus), lavender, Muehlenbeckia astonii, Corokia species, Artemisia eg ‘Lambrook Silver’ or ‘Silver Fairy’,
lavender cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus).
MEDIUM-HEIGHT FLOWERING PLANTS
Choose 3-4 different types and plant in groups of 5-7. Try bearded iris, daylilies, salvia eg ‘Caradonna’ or ‘Blue Hills’, sea holly (Eryngium), Marlborough rock daisy (Pachystegia
insignis), Hylotelephium spectabile eg ‘Autumn Joy’, flowering annuals such as zinnia, calendula and lobelia.
CASCADING OR GROUNDCOVER PLANTS
Prostrate rosemary, white or red flower carpet roses,
Helichrysum petiolare ‘Limelight’ (can be invasive in some areas), prostrate manuka eg Leptospermum ‘White Cascade’, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’, wormwood species such as Artemisia ‘Alba Canescens’, woolly thyme, lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina).
PLANTS FOR VERTICAL CONTRAST
Try coloured flaxes eg ‘Merlot’ or ‘Black Rage’, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’ or ‘Variegatus’, red tussock
(Chionochloa rubra), dwarf toetoe (Chionochloa flavicans), wind grass (Anemanthele lessoniana), Astelia banksii,
New Zealand iris (Libertia peregrinans).
NOTE Most of the plants listed here are suitable for the conditions of this particular site, which is sunny (yet in a colder, frost-prone area), sloping and rocky. These plant suggestions are a guide only. Check them out at your local nursery and ask about their growth rate, height and spread, and whether they’re suitable for your garden’s conditions.