Structured Solutionz™

Astelia Silver Spear

paul — 2006-11-23T06:46:37Z

Astelia Silver Spear is in a class of its own. The clean silver coloured stiff and upright sword like leaves have appeal all year round. It makes a wonderful feature plant wherever it is situated. It is happy in both sun and shade areas and in a wide range of soills. An ideal container plant creating stylish impact when planted with ligularia brit marie crawford, heucheras, scleranthus biflorus or other foliage plants. Astelia Silver Spear makes a wonderful background along tall fence lines. This plant is approximately two years old when it reaches the garden centre and over the next three years it should at least triple in size, growing to a height of 1.5 metres by 1.5 metres if desired.

Atropurpurea

escott — 2006-10-19T23:23:26Z

A stunning succulent with varying shades of black and purple foliage. You can plant it amongst grasses, silver flaxes, sedums and other succulents. Generally, the drier the soil, then darker the foliage will become providing it has full sun. This plant is approximately eighteen months old and will double in size over the next two years growing to a height of 60cm by 60cm.

Carex Dispacea

escott — 2006-12-05T20:26:28Z

This semi weeping, evergreen grass has bright green foliage. Either in hot and dry or cold and exposed conditions, this grass makes an eye catching feature and looks great planted with flaxes, Astelias, Heucheras, Hebes and cabbage trees. This plant is about 12 months old when it reaches the garden centre and you can expect it to double in size over the next 18 months growing to a height of 0.6 metres by 0.6 metres if desired.

Carex Tenuiculimis

escott — 2006-12-05T20:56:04Z

This quick growing, evergreen, native grass has deep chocolate brown foliage all year round. It has a graceful, arching habit and forms an attractive mound, ideally suited to group plantings. Its taller habit makes it a stunning companion plant amongst Chinochloa flavicans, Astelias, Grisilinea and flaxes, creating outstanding contrasting foliage colours. It will grow in moist or dry soils, preferring full sun to maintain its appeal. This plant is about 12 months old when it reaches the garden centre and you can expect it to double in size over the next 18 months growing to a height of 0.6 metres by 0.6 metres if desired.

Carex Testacea

escott — 2006-12-05T20:59:05Z

This hardy evergreen grass will impress you with its bright sunset orange tones throughout the year. Its clean mounding habit makes it suitable for mass planting in either hot and dry or cold and exposed conditions. Alternatively, Carex look great planted with flaxes, Astelias, Heucheras, Hebes and cabbage trees. This plant is about 12 months old when it reaches the garden centre and you can expect it to double in size over the next 18 months growing to a height of 0.6 metres by 0.6 metres if desired.

Chionochloa Flavicans

escott — 2006-12-05T21:07:14Z

This hardy evergreen is commonly known as the miniature Toe Toe. This native grass has deep green, almost glossy, weeping foliage, with tall spikes of fluffy white flowers complementing it throughout summer. This plant looks magic planted in groups in rockeries alongside Astelias, Cordylines, grasses, Scleranthus and other structured plants. It is also suited to a container, and ideal in exposed and harsh conditions which only enhances its beauty. This plant is about eighteen months old when it reaches the garden centre and you can expect it to double in size over the next year growing to a height of 0.75 metres by 1 metre if desired.

Coprosma Lobster

escott — 2006-12-19T01:23:35Z

Coprosma rugosa Lobster is a hardy, native evergreen, although the foliage is never green, but a distinctive lobster red. Selected by us for its quirky texture and structured detailing, Coprosma Lobster with its twisting, tangling branches and tiny leaves is called a divaricating shrub. Coprosma Lobster looks good as sculptural garden specimens, mass planted, hedged or set among other low-maintenance, structured plantings. The plant's bronze-red stems will go well with lime-green, black and silver foliage. Coprosma Lobsters unusual and interesting divaricating habit almost tempts oneself to clip it into a topiary or challenge it into some weird shape. Coprosma Lobster thrives in sun or part shade and is suited to coastal conditions. It adapts to most soil types and this plant is approximately eighteen months old when it reaches the garden centre and you can expect it to triple in size over the next three years growing to a height of 0.6 metres by 1.2 metres if desired.

Cordyline Caramel

Megan Baker — 2010-02-10T02:45:10Z

Cordyline Caramel is a wonderful new selection of Cabbage tree that starts its life as a rich red colour and develops into a delectable caramel/chocolate colour when mature. With a tight clumping habit and weeping foliage, Cordyline Caramel is happy amongst most other garden plants, as a garden feature and looks fantastic in containers. It is content in most garden soils, preferably planted in full sun but will tolerate shady positions. This plant is approximately eighteen months old when it reaches the garden centre and over the next three years will grow to 1.5 metres by 1.5 metres. Cordyline Caramel is otherwise known as Cordyline Design-A-Line-Caramel.

Cordyline Peko

escott — 2006-12-05T21:17:10Z

Cordyline Peko is a wonderful cabbage tree that features clean dark green leaves with carmine red bracts of colour at the base of each leaf. They are happy in amongst most other garden plants, look fantastic in containers and as a general feature. It is happy in most garden soils, preferably planted in full sun but tolerates shady positions. This plant is approximately eighteen months old when it reaches the garden centre and over the next three years will develop a bare trunk up to 3 metres in height.

Cordyline Red Star

escott — 2006-12-05T21:22:19Z

Cordyline Red Star is a wonderful Cabbage tree that features deep velvet red tropical looking foliage all year round. They are happy in amongst most other garden plants, look fantastic in containers and as a general feature. It is happy in most garden soils, preferably planted in full sun but tolerates shady positions. This plant is approximately eighteen months old when it reaches the garden centre and over the next three years will develop a bare trunk up to 3 metres in height.

Cordyline Sundance

escott — 2006-10-19T23:23:26Z

This plant features stunning multi coloured red and green striped leaves. It is happy in most garden soils, preferably planted in full sun but tolerates shady positions. This plant is approximately eighteen months old and over the next three years will develop a bare trunk up to 2m in height.

Draceana Draco

escott — 2006-10-19T23:23:26Z

The Dragon Tree, as it’s referred to, forms a single smooth upright trunk which divides into a multi branched tree with sword shaped blue green leaves. It is extremely tolerant to drought but needs protection from heavy frosts. It grows in most soils except for heavy wet clay. This plant is approximately two years old and you can expect it to double in size over the next two years reaching a height of 9m if desired, over a fifteen year period.

Euphorbia Kea

norman — 2006-11-29T22:13:43Z

Bred in the UK, this plant is truly a garden revelation. The first of several new releases to reach our shores, this Euphorbia is renowned for its tight, compact habit. In late winter the flower spikes flush pink red before opening to a mass of continuous lime gold blooms throughout spring and summer. This plant is suitable in low maintenance structured gardens, in containers, in borders and is truly hardy throughout New Zealand. It thrives in full sun, part shade and is suited to free draining soils. We were especially impressed with their hardiness coming through winter outside, then flowering continuously from early September. They have maintained a superb habit, requiring very little care or trimming. A real Gardening Solutionz plant! This plant is approximately eighteen months old when it reaches the garden centre and you can expect it to triple in size over the next two years growing to a height of 0.6 metres by 0.6 metres if desired.

Euphorbia Tui

Megan Baker — 2007-04-30T22:44:47Z

Bred in the UK this plant is truly a garden revelation. The second of several new releases to reach our shores, this Euphorbia is renowned for its tight compact habit. Compact, tough and as stunning to look at as the bird it is named after, it has lush plum to dark purple, almost black foliage and in late winter to early spring, a mass of continuous dark chocolate to burgundy flowers form on its striking matching foliage making it a gardening sensation. Freda Hunter from the Canterbury Horticultural Society says "it has instant appeal and with just a little bit of dead heading will look good through all four seasons. It's low growing and tight and compact and will definitely appeal to people with small gardens. Two or three grouped together will make a great impact". Euphorbia Tui is suitable in low maintenance structured gardens, in containers, in borders and is truly hardy throughout New Zealand. It thrives in full sun, part shade and is suited to free draining soils. This plant is approximately eighteen months old when it reaches the garden centre and over the next two years it will triple in size growing to height of 0.6 metres by 0.6 metres if desired.

Purchase a specially marked Euphorbia Tui at your local Garden Centre and you have the chance to find $ in your pot!

Hebe Emerald Gem

escott — 2006-11-30T01:45:26Z

This compact evergreen Hebe forms oval domes of bright green tightly packed foliage with dainty clusters of white flowers appearing in summer. This is a plant that is known for its low maintenance habit and happy in the sun or semi shade in well drained soils. For an eye-catching feature, you may plant in groups, as a border, or alongside grasses, flaxes and heucheras. This plant is approximately eighteen months old when it reaches the garden centre and will double its size over the next two years, growing to a height of 0.45 metres by 0.25 metres if desired.

The following excerpt appeared in The Press newspaper August 2008:
Hebe Emerald Gem is one tough little number and it appears time and time again in landscape plans as a proven winner. With more species than any other genus of New Zealand plants, hebes are known for their adaptable and uncomplaining nature. Our pick this month, Hebe Emerald Gem forms naturally into a ball; its almost cushion like appearance looks closely clipped without any effort on the gardener's behalf. When its crisp green foliage is covered with dainty clusters of white flowers in summer it looks like a pin cushion.

Planted en masse or singularly in a container, this is one hebe that is sure to please. At just 30 cm high, Emerald Gem is a great contrast with ground cover and succulents. In a native planting plan, its mounding form will provide interest. For a bit of pizzazz, try planting it beside bold foliage accent plants such as the brillant Libertia Taupo Blaze or Phormium Jester and Yellow Wave. If stones are your thing, then try planting this hebe alongside the low growing bright-green Scleranthus biflorus with a light coloured gravel or stone chips covering the soil.