coastal gems
You have a coastal garden with gale force winds, lashings of salt spray, a soil devoid of nutrients. What an opportunity.
No need to look at glossy foreign magazines with trendy gardens professionally designed for Europeans. Cast out ideas of the
Chinese Himalayas or the American prairie. Go for it and grow southern hemisphere plants that evolved in soils that are short of humus and phosphates, plants that withstand wind or require fresh, moving air. Instead of a derivative pretty picture, create an honest garden that is true to its place down under.
Can I suggest to you some useful pants for coastal conditions?
Oldenburgia grandis is sometimes called mountain hunchback, donkey’s ears and other common names in several languages.
This tough shrub from South Africa grows in poor, rocky soils but which also requires excellent drainage. It enjoys sunshine, must have good ventilation, will take hot to cool weather but is sensitive to frost.
The plant in the Larnach Castle Garden took 15 years to flower but when it did, it was in autumn just when many other plants were thinking of taking a rest.
Oldenbergia flowers are curious rather than lovely. But the buds are interesting as are the seedheads so are a discussion point in the garden for a good three months. Any time of year people will say, “What’s that?”. The oldenbergia catches their eye with its gnarly trunk, its large, stiff leathery leaves which are whitefelted underneath.
New growth is furry and white; this furry covering being protection from potentially harsh elements.
Aeoniums are maritime, and less hardy relatives of semperviviums. Just look at the ordered, circular
arrangement of the leaves. They evolved mainly on the Canary Islands. In this maritime climate they became larger, lush and juicy; less hardy than their cousins but just right for New Zealand’s coastal gardens where they add structure and not a little drama.
Think of them as green flowers, reminiscent of the waterlily dahlias exhibited at flower shows – except that they are usually green, instead of pink, purple or orange. What’s wrong with the colour green anyway?
Arrangement of the succulent leaves of Aeonium valverdense is particularly precise. It is always worth pausing to look at these rosettes and then to look again, to wonder how and why this ordered perfection.
Aeonium valvadense in our South Seas Garden at the castle has grown to 45cm in height and as wide. It has a terminal rosette on a chunky stalk from which smaller rosettes branch out. The edges of the leaves are outlined in soft hairs.
If it is dry, a red edging marks the leaf, adding definition to the arresting pattern of leaves.
Our experience has been that it is just a little less hardy than many other aeoniums. We keep a spare plant overwintered in the glasshouse, just in case we lose the plant in the garden, but this has only happened once in about 12 years.
Last summer, our giant spear lily had two – yes two! – flower spikes.
Doryanthes palmeri is a tender plant from Australia. It does well in Northland gardens – and in Dunedin gardens too, if it is carefully placed.
It will survive light, but not heavy, frost, will take some shade but prefers the sun. It is an Aussie, after all. ✤