Give it a go
You lust for a plant that might not do well in your climate. First, research where the plant grows in nature.
Look at the soil and drainage. Does it grow streamside? Does it grow naturally in sun, in shade or filtered light? What’s the range of temperature? Secondly, consider your own garden and its microclimates. Is it frost free on the north side of your house, under trees? Are there damp spots, dry areas, windy or sheltered? Search for an approximation of the plant’s natural conditions. Choose your spot, then go for it.
Let me share with you some of the plants that thrive in the garden at Larnach Castle which are from warmer or drier, even subtropical, montane climates.
We have planted a pink and the rare white form of Protea cynaroides.
It is called the king protea because it has the biggest flowers of all the proteas, sometimes even reaching 300mm in diameter.
In nature, it is widespread in the southwestern and southern areas of South Africa in what is known as the fynbos region. Here the soil is nutrientpoor, low in phosphate and the climate is hot and dry in summer, cool but frostfree and wet in winter. (We do the nutrient-poor soil, the cold wet winters better than we do the hot dry summers.)
In its natural habitat, drainage is sharp and air humidity considerably lower than on our misty mountain. Our soil is volcanic and leeched at the top of the hill and generally well drained. To get some warmth to our handsome king proteas, we planted them on a steeply graded north slope. They are close to macrocarpa trees which keep off the frost, and in a windy position to mitigate humidity.
There is one honeysuckle that surpasses all others – that is, if size is your measure: the giant Burmese
Lonicera hildebrandiana.
Its leaves shine boldly, the perfume’s arresting. Flowers, which are tubular, then flaring, can be 15cm long. They open cream then turn yellow and orange.
This plant was first discovered in Myanmar, then later in Thailand and southern Yunnan, China. It is a plant of the tropics, so doesn’t tolerate cold winds or frost.
The plant I have now is my third attempt; the first two died in the cold. This time, it’s planted on sloping ground on a north-facing wall topped with trellis, with another building behind the fence to truly deflect the southerly winds which had demolished its predecessors.
The Burmese honeysuckle does not twine or cling unaided so has to be tied and pruned. I am so proud of it, but my North Island friends tell me that without hard pruning it can become an oversized, uncontrollable, tangled lump. Well that’s a put down, isn’t it?
Fortunately, my next tender treasure does dainty – its flowers are just 35mm long.
Fieldia australis grows naturally in the rainforest of the damp, temperate areas of eastern Australia; its northern range is limited to higher altitudes. I have seen it in the wild in New South Wales growing in humid conditions close by a waterfall. Fieldia requires full shade, cool moist air but doesn’t tolerate frost. I was given a plant from New Plymouth’s Pukeiti by Graham Smith, who was previously director of this magnificent garden.
I planted the fieldia behind the ballroom, where it is shaded and sheltered from wind and free from frost. It wreaths the trunk of a mamaku. During summer, lateral branches drip with tubular, creamy white flowers.