Saturday 13th September, 2025
Hi
Gardens as works of art? by Tracy
My daughter is studying art and recently got asked to pick her favourite piece of art for a student exhibition. We were talking about which one she should choose and I said that I liked the picture of the magpie best, whereas she liked an abstract one of a vase of flowers. Nobody is right or wrong, it's just a question of preference. When you are looking at plants it's the same deal; gardening is a very subjective subject (which is why landscapers do a roaring trade when a house has new owners). Rip it all out and start again! You can choose the palate, variety, form and theme.
Building a garden for many, just like art, is a personal reflection of their preferences: structured or informal, exotics or natives, it's all 'right' for that person. We often talk about a new garden being a blank canvas because it is up to you to create something that pleases your eye. As they say, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". If you have no idea about where to start, then consider building your garden around a particular focus such as: framing a view, creating screening, sheltering your more delicate plants or drawing your eye towards something gorgeous. The plants in your garden which add interest all year round are those with appealing foliage. After all, while flowers are spectacular - it's all about the sex appeal LOL - leaves add texture, body and structure to the garden.
Plants for texture and structure
Our native plants and their cultivars can be used to great effect for texture and structure and work well with modern architecture with its clean lines and bold colours. Check out the
Pseudopanax range which are foliage plants with a bit of pizazz. Pseudopanax translates to 'false panax' in reference to the Panax genus (medicinal ginseng plants) which have the same five-finger pattern of leaves as our guys. They can have lush dark green leaflets spread into fingers (e.g.
Pseudopanax laetus) or rich, dark green leaves that become purple with age and upright arrow growth (e.g.
Dark Star) or narrow leaves and stems of yellow, pink, green and red (e.g.
Fiddlesticks). You can see there is a big variety of shapes, colours and forms available.
If you really want to add drama to your garden how about a
Pseudopanax ferox? This plant is also known as the fierce, savage or toothed lancewood as the leaves have serrated edges and look like the jaws of a barracouta. Even the shape of the plant is aggressive; it has jagged rows of brown leaves, each with a striped centre, that are thrust downwards like sharp daggers arranged around a central stem. When mature, these plants change their foliage almost completely to more upright, softer, rounded leaves. Shades of adolescents maturing into middle age? An added bonus of this genus is that they draw in birds with their berries and flowers.
Leptospermum Coppersheen is another plant with interesting foliage. It has a graceful, slightly weeping habit which has a softer effect against other more upright shrubs and trees. It's great as a background, in a hedge or as a stand-alone plant where the coppery tones draw the eye from the palate of green all around. Bees love the single white flowers. Make sure you plant where drainage is good as this is an Aussie import and not fond of wet feet.
Another Australian to keep close is
Acacia iteaphylla which has soft blue-green foliage that make it another stand-out plant for background or screen. Let's go ahead and add in the beautiful
Flannel flower (Phylica) to the mix as it's a South African that can hold its own in New Zealand's free-draining soils. Strong upright branches with soft fluffy leaves and creamy pompom flowers give it a distinctive and appealing appearance. But wait there's more - free no obligation with each plant - you can pick both flowers and foliage and use them for floristry. What a bonus! Many of these mentioned plants will add impact to your floral art with their interesting leaf colours, shapes and textures.
As I am writing, Michelle is making a display by the shop and using foliage colours for dramatic effect. She has chosen
Strobilanthes anisophyllus (Goldfussia) which is a real mouthful but basically is a dark purple, spikey, upright, evergreen shrub with fresh purple flowers. Looks great in a tropical-themed garden although you will need to protect it from frost. Contrasted to this are some
Coleonema Sunset Gold. This well-loved and bright shrub has fresh yellow foliage which offsets the delicate white and pink flowers. It's a reliable and often underrated plant for a pop of colour all year round and forms a rounded bush. Another plant which always has interest is
Eriostemon Bournda Gold.
This has variegated foliage (yellow and green) and a pink flower.
Astelia chathamica rounds out the foliage affect with upright burnished silver foliage in striking sword-like leaves. Nice one.
Proteas
If you are a fan of picking from the garden then don't overlook the
Proteas. The winning garden at this year's Chelsea flower show was from South Africa and featured a show-stopping display of Proteas in a wonderful variety of colours, forms, sizes. If you want to read more about it, click on this
link.
New this week
Metal Garden supports. If you are looking for something cool and different for the garden, check out our range of classy wrought iron supports and arches. These are great to keep your
Delphiniums upright, climb a
Rose or
Clematis or support something from these ferocious spring winds.
California Lilac (Ceanothis) are standout performers in the spring garden with their fresh blue flowers and wrinkled leaves. From sprawling ground covers up to a metre-tall shrubs they are great for well drained sunny situations where you can see them from a distance. These look great on a bank in a massed display.
Forsythias These didn't arrive this week, but are just now bursting into flower to herald the arrival of Spring. Flowers of sunshine-yellow bring happiness and a pop of colour to your garden which might still be shaking of the blues of winter.
Gardening Events
For those looking for local and regional inspiration here are a few events to add to your calendar:
Hope you can find a sheltered spot to enjoy the spring sunshine and that you have time to visit a garden, or plan your next one.
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.
