Gardening with Gael - Hedging your bets

FILLER: Olearia nummularifolia sprout daisy-like flowers at the branch tips in summer.

To hasten the prospect of selling the cottages we have divided the land in half. We plan to keep the house and sell three cottages, two of which have lovely sea views, a much desired attribute. Box, inspired by local artisan Malcolm Roberts, has built a splendid new gate for the new entrance.

The boundary line cuts straight across the middle of the garden at the west end of the croquet lawn where the line is obscured by rock roses [cistus], gordonias, daylilies, roses, acanthus and campanulas. 

“So where exactly is the boundary?” ask propective buyers. I stand at the edge of the lawn with my arms in the crucifix position indicating the line. 

“In front of these palms, through these shrubs” I say.

“Will you build a fence?” they ask. I attempt smiling sweetly but with my teeth clenched (and I suspect my eyes narrowed) as I try to imagine it, the effect is ghastly.     n madly in love with them. I have ordered more for the Block.

Karo, with the intention of trimming it to a metre high hedge, had already been planted on the edge of the lawn at the Block. I dug it out. It was never quite ‘right’ but it was the best I could think of. This plant is perfect. Olearia nummularifolia grows in dry or exposed locations and is very hardy says the Palmers Garden Guide. The height is ideal as well. I would have been hacking away at the karo [pittosporum crassifolium] endlessly.

A sub-alpine plant, I worried we may be too far north for it. Ian from Alter-natives Nursery at Waipu says they have them in stock and they grow well in this area. He agrees that they are a good alternative to box hedging and are also quite slow growing. I have given one to Marg, a friend with a dry and exposed bank.

Olearias are flowering in the bush now. Those patches of white between here and Langs and on the way to Auckland are mostly olearia’s. Ian identified them as olearia frufruacea. Difficult to transplant or grow, he suggests for the same effect olearia cheesemanii or olearia macrodonta.  

With their tolerance of drought, their ability to grow in almost any soil (the nummularifolia do not like wet feet) olearias are a great addition to any garden. The panniclatas have been placed on the new line. I am struggling to keep it straight.