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).
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