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Buxus clipped into balls can form an interesting feature or border. LEFT (from top) Kōwhai flowers, heuchera and pūriri flowers Photography (above left) Alamy Stock Photo; (right) Gap Photos/Steven Wooster. Cultivate chameleons Once you’ve set the scene, it’s time to introduce plants that will dial up the colour in the winter months. Plantsman Alan Trott, who created a Garden of International Significance in Ashburton that is renowned for its rare and beautiful trees, recommends the coral bark Japanese maple ‘Sango-Kaku’ Acer palmatum as a wonderful winter option. Once it drops its yellow leaves in autumn, the red bark is left exposed and provides outstanding colour. Or brighten up your backyard with the papery white bark of silver birches (Betula pendula). At ground level, Alan introduces colour with heucheras. Not only do these perennial groundcovers provide year-round interest, they come in vibrant hues, running from zingy lime to dense burgundy tones. “I only “It’s important to think about creating a garden with plants that look good all year” Trish Bartleet, landscape designer grow them for their foliage and cut all the flowers off them,” he says. To add colour, Trish favours variegated plants. “You can tuck them in dull shady spots in the garden and they give you good depth of colour,” she says. For those with frost-free or sheltered gardens, she recommends Iresine herbstii, also known as bloodleaf: “It’s a lovely, bright, pink-leafed plant that really leaps out at you.” Living sculpture Another way to add depth to your garden is with topiary or cloudbunningswarehousenewzealand | pruned trees. Trish recommends fern pine (Podocarpus gracilior) – related to our native totara – as a particularly good tree for shaping. If you’ve never shaped a plant before, start with a simple form, such as a cone or ball. Need a little help? There are plenty of video demonstrations online. Topiary is ideal for pots, too, says Alan. “Plant them in pots and underplant them with pansies or polyanthus.” As well as traditional buxus, Alan suggests using boxleaf honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida) and silver germander (Teucrium fruticans). bunnings | bunningsnz | bunnings.co.nz 37

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