Fine native ticks all the boxes

Sometimes my two jobs interconnect in interesting ways and this week was a great example. A landscaper came in to find out about the sort of plants in use in the 1920s, as a client wants to re-establish an authentic garden around a beautiful workingman's cottage from that era.

Interestingly, his client wants to use camellias, natives and evergreen magnolias to supplement the laurel hedge already planted. Luckily, we have an old Robinson's catalogue from the 1920s at work and I was able to show him the wonderful Magnolia grandiflora with large bay-like leaves and bowl-shaped scented flowers that was a favourite in the 1920s, and there were a few old camellia varieties around too, although none in the catalogue are commonly grown now.

It was in the native tree and shrubs area things have changed the most, with the 1920s catalogue being sparse on varieties we think as commonplace. There were no hebes or coprosmas, and even few pittosporums.

This was a little surprising as Laurie Robinson became well known a little later as one of the most ardent garden fans of native ornamentals and as the introducer of several variegated forms of some of the shrubby pittosporum species, especially tarata or lemonwood, P. eugenioides and silver matipo P. tenuifolium.

Robinson's nursery, no longer in family ownership, continues to grow new forms of these popular native shrubs and, in the past year or so, has released two new dwarf forms of P. tenuifolium. During the past few years, several dwarf forms have been released, including a lovely silvery/green-leaved form from Clareville Nursery called Elfin. They all share a naturally compact growing habit, with the ability to be clipped to be kept under control.

Perhaps the best known of these is Golf Ball, a fast-growing dwarf shrub that can easily be kept to about 30cm high with a similar width. These are quite often used as a replacement for box hedging, having a lighter look while being just as easily kept under control. A few years ago, the nursery industry was promoting the use of some hebe varieties for formal hedges, but this makes a much better choice.

Two new coloured forms have become available from Robinson's, and a few other selected nurseries - a golden form and a silver one, called, you will not be surprised to read, Golden Ball and Silver Ball. As you would expect, these varieties have bright glossy foliage, and form naturally rounded shapes, with foliage of golden and silver hues respectively.

I have been intrigued by another relatively new selection, a semi-dwarf form called Reflections. I immediately noticed its tidy form with clean, high-gloss foliage and striking colour. The small leaves are green with a curiously wavy edge, coloured yellow on the central rib and veins. As if that was not enough, the stems are red and the new growth is creamy-yellow. This makes a nice compact growth, perhaps a little more vigorous than truly dwarf forms, but also much more compact than larger forms.

Like all pittosporums, you need to be a little bit careful about insect infestation, especially the pesky little native psyllid which can pucker the leaves if left unchecked. A quick spray with an insecticide will soon sort the problem out.

I must admit I have a bit of a fondness for these bright natives, which are available in a wide range of forms and colours. Among the others you might want to seek out are the bright green Humpty Dumpty, another of the dwarf forms, and the fantastic Tom Thumb, with its purple foliage. Unfortunately, the latter, which may be among the most popular overseas, is seldom seen here nowadays being relatively difficult to propagate. If you see it, grab it, as it has deep purple leaves off set in spring by bright green new foliage. The effect is of a host of green butterflies rising over a dark background.

For a good purpose, bright-green foliaged, medium-sized shrub it is hard to go past Mountain Green, which has crisp green foliage and attractive growth habits. It is especially useful as a background shrub for brighter flowering plants, and can also be successfully used as a hedging plant. If your taste is slightly more eclectic you may like the unusual colour of Wrinkle Blue. This larger growing form has glossy, wavy leaves of mid-grey-green on stems with a bluish hue. You could make an attractive unusually-coloured hedge from this form and it can also be used for the vase.

For those more botanically minded, and looking for a plant of natural interest, you should seek out P. tenuifolium Stephens Island. This is different looking and, without seeing it in flower, I would almost wonder whether it might not be a hybrid of one of the other pittosporum species - perhaps P. ralphii? You will not be surprised to learn this plant was found in the wild on Stephens Island in the middle of Cook Strait, better known as the home of the tuatara. It has large, deep-green foliage with fine silver hairs on the leaf margins, which gives the whole plant a steely grey effect. This can be used as a great specimen shrub, but also for hedging.