It's time to spring into action and plant some gorgeous natives in your garden
If you're feeling down with all the apocalyptic news about bird flu, climate change, not to mention the upcoming elections, nothing beats getting into the garden and doing something locally that will benefit the birds and bees and you too. Plus it's early spring, one of the best times to actually get planting.
Weird fact: a common soil bacterium was shown to enhance the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin and to relieve stress. Well, only in mice, but maybe us too? Ask any gardener whether gardening feels good...
But what are the best plants to choose? I'm not an expert, but I have been gardening pretty much all my life, and I'm not shy about offering an opinion or two. So, here are my top favourite native plants for New Zealand gardens.
1. Kōwhai
It’s the obvious number one, but you really can’t beat a kōwhai for attracting birds. Half the reason we bought our current house was the magnificent kōwhai in the garden. (The other half was the magnificent magnolia.) Our tūī start staking out the kōwhai weeks before flowering begins, just in case another tūī gets ideas.
Fortunately, there are compact species and cultivars that won’t overwhelm a suburban garden, including some that will live happily in a large pot. Check the label carefully, because “kōwhai” covers plants with very different eventual sizes.
2. Koromiko/Hebe
There are so many hebes to choose from, with a wonderful range of sizes, flower colours and foliage. They’re easy to fit into gaps, and the flowers are beloved by butterflies, bees and other insects.
I’ve planted heaps around my fish pond. In summer, when the hebes are flowering, that part of the garden is busy with butterflies, damselflies and all manner of tiny life.
3. Harakeke and wharariki (flax)
Forget agapanthus for that sunny bank: try flax instead. It’s tough as nails, provides nectar for tūī and korimako/bellbirds, and its dense base creates shelter for smaller creatures. Choose the species or cultivar to suit your space; wharariki, or mountain flax, is generally smaller than harakeke.
Handy hint: don’t plant it too close to a path. Those long leaves are a tripping hazard.
4. Kakaha (Astelia)
Astelia is another lovely architectural plant, with a more upright form than flax and silvery-grey strappy leaves. Some species produce berries that birds relish, as this tīeke fledgling was demonstrating with great enthusiasm.
There are several astelias in cultivation, from compact silver-leaved coastal forms to much larger forest species. I've recently had to relocate a huge astelia that was planted by the previous owners at the front of the border, where it completely took over.
5. Mānuka
You can’t beat mānuka for attracting all manner of insects. The flowers range from white to deep pink, depending on the cultivar, and when they’re in bloom the whole shrub hums with activity. More insects also means more food for insect-eating birds like the pīwakawaka/fantail.
6. Ngutukākā/Kākābeak
The spectacular flowers of this native legume are shaped like a kākā’s beak, hence the name. Ngutukākā is in serious trouble in the wild. The rare white-flowered form has not been seen growing wild since the 1950s, but survives in cultivation.
I thought I’d reached peak native gardener the day I found a rare native kākā feeding on the rare white kākābeak in my suburban garden! It’s a great filler towards the back of a border, where its straggly growth can be contained.
7. Coprosma
Coprosmas come in all shapes and sizes, but small-leaved coprosmas with their divaricating stems create wonderfully dense safe havens for insects, lizards and small birds. They respond well to thoughtful shaping and pruning, and the berries are excellent bird food as this tauhou shows.
8. Kawakawa
A large shrub or small tree, depending on how enthusiastically you chop it back, kawakawa is an essential for a native garden. It has beautiful heart-shaped leaves that kawakawa looper caterpillars lovingly turn into Swiss cheese, giving each leaf a unique look. It also produces edible orange fruit with sweet pulp and crunchy, peppery seeds.
Kawakawa is a pioneer plant that happily fills gaps in the bush when a falling tree opens up the canopy. The birds love the fruit and poo the seeds everywhere, so chances are your garden might already host some seedlings.
I love using kawakawa leaves in my art, including Aroha nui above. You can also read my earlier photo essay about the beauty of kawakawa leaves.
9. Pūawhananga/Clematis
Our native clematis is spectacular in spring, with masses of starry white flowers that provide food for insects. It’s a climber rather than another shrub or tree, so it’s also a good way to squeeze more habitat into a smaller garden.
Give it something sturdy to climb—a fence, pergola or existing tree. There are several native clematis species to choose from, including some weirder ones with no leaves.
No garden? No excuse
If you don’t have a garden, try a compact native in a pot on a balcony or doorstep, or find a local community group restoring a stream or bush remnant. If you’re eyeing up the berm or road verge, check your council’s rules first. In Wellington, the Council can provide plants and advice for approved volunteer roadside planting projects.
Wellington gardeners should also keep an eye on the native plant sales at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush. The plants are propagated from Ōtari’s collections and selected with local gardens and Wellington conditions in mind.
Native plants that I don't recommend
“Native” does not automatically mean “right plant, right place”. These are all magnificent plants—somewhere. In a suburban garden, however, they can become expensive lessons in reading the mature-size label.
- Karaka. A beautiful tree and excellent bird food, but also a champion self-seeder. We have a karaka shelter belt in our suburban garden (not by our doing), and it costs thousands in arborist fees to keep it in check—not to mention the thousands of seedlings it produces.
- Kauri, rewarewa, pūriri, kāhikatea... All magnificent trees, but it is highly unlikely that the average suburban garden has enough room. They grow slowly, but the final result is far, far, far too big.
- Pōhutukawa. This one may surprise you, but a full-sized pōhutukawa develops a broad canopy and substantial roots that can lift paving and exploit already-damaged drains. Fortunately, there are some compact cultivars, but you do still need to be careful where you put them.
- Tī kōuka (cabbage tree). Great in the right place; a pain in the proverbial beside a lawn. The long, fibrous leaves wrap themselves around mower blades and defy shredders. Green bin collections usually ban them too. Plant tī kōuka where the fallen leaves can be left in place to decay.
Have fun choosing a couple of goodies for your garden this spring. And do let me know in the comments what your favourite choices are. I've only scratched (hoed?) the surface.
