Astelia banksii (Coastal Astelia / Wharawhara)
The first garden plant I ever owned and boy, was it tough 💪!
Also commonly called 'silver flax' his NZ native plant is perfect for dry spots and unirrigated pots and planters. In fact, the one thing most likely to kill it - too much water!
Astelia banksii has many of the characteristics associated with a plant suitable for hot, dry, sunny garden spots such as 👉 silver foliage covered in a fine furry coating, which is also a good visual clue that a plant is suitable for a coastal location, drought tolerant, and able to cope in full-sun situations.
That said, Astelia banksii is one of the few silver foliage plants that is just as suited to shade as it is to sun 🌞. It's the perfect plant for underplanting a Pohutukawa tree
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