Olearia × haastii
| Olearia × haastii | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 8' |
| Width: | 8' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Olearia × haastii
Propagation: Seed - surface sow in early spring in a greenhouse. Do not allow the compost to dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. If growth has been sufficiently good, plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of the following year, otherwise grow them on for another year in pots and plant them out the following early summer. This species is a hybrid and so will not breed true from seed.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Pot up in late August and overwinter in a cold frame then plant out in late spring or early summer[1]. Good percentage[2].
Cuttings of moderately ripe wood of the current years growth, 5 - 10cm with a heel, November in a frame. High percentage[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in any well-drained moderately fertile soil in full sun[3][4]. Thrives in a chalky soil[3] but prefers a light loam or peaty soil[2]. Very tolerant of maritime exposure[5][4] and atmospheric pollution[3][4].
A very ornamental plant[6], it is hardy to about -15°c[7], succeeding outdoors at Kew but liable to be cut back to the ground in severe winters[2]. It is perfectly hardy, however, in the mild maritime areas of Britain[4].
Plants flower best in years that follow long hot summers[4].
Can be pruned right back into old wood in order to promote fresh growth[4]. Any pruning is best done in the spring[2]. It is best to trim new growth of young plants by 50% each year for the first three years after planting in order to promote basal shoots[8].
Range: New Zealand.
Habitat: A naturally occurring hybrid, O. avicenniifolia x O. moschata[2].
Usage: Very resistant to maritime exposure and tolerant of severe pruning, this plant can be used as an effective windbreak hedge in exposed maritime areas. It makes a good dwarf hedge that rarely exceeds 2 metres in height[5].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rosewarne Experimental Horticultural Station. Shelter Trees and Hedges. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1984.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Shepherd, F. W.. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society, 1974.