Got a sunny, dry situation but don’t want to grow succulents? Then Pachystegia insignis, the Marlborough rock daisy, could be the perfect solution. This little native shrub has handsome foliage, grey-green on top, white and hairy beneath. It’s worth growing for the leaves alone, but the flowers are outstanding too - long stemmed white and yellow daisies opening from thick buds shaped like drumsticks.
In nature it grows on rock faces in Marlborough - you can see plants growing on the cliffs beside SH 1 near Kaikoura. In the garden it must have excellent drainage and very little if anything in the way of fertilisers. Try it in beach gardens, on banks, under the eaves on the sunny side of the house - all those sorts of situations which many other plants find a bit too tough to survive in without lots of watering.
It’s good in pots too, but don’t use a rich potting mix. Try combining a group of Pachystegia insignis with a groundcover of pebbles for a contemporary landscaping look, or underplant with living groundcovers such as a silvery acaena or blue-grey Pimelea prostrata, two interesting native plants. Use it as a foreground to Astelia ‘Silver Spear’ which is also drought tolerant.
|
Schemes & Themes
using Liddle Wonder Plants