Variegated New Zealand Christmas Tree

The variegated New Zealand Christmas tree (Metrosideros excelsa 'Variegata') earns its place in every season, not just the one it is named for. Each leathery leaf is deep green with a broad creamy white margin, so the canopy reads pale and lifted from across a garden, and in summer it carries the crimson stamen flowers the species is famous for. Left alone it builds into a broad headed tree of about 6m tall and 4m wide, and it takes salt wind straight off the water without burning.

Why you'll love it

• Colour that does not wait for flowering. The cream margins hold all year, lifting a dark corner or a flat green boundary in the eleven months it is not in bloom.
• Crimson summer flowers full of birds. Dense brushes of red stamens open across the canopy through summer, and honeyeaters work them from first light.
• Genuinely coastal. Salt tolerant and wind tolerant, so it holds the front line on an exposed block where ornamentals shred and brown off.
• Hedge it or let it go. Planted 2m apart and clipped it makes a thick screen; unpruned it becomes a spreading shade tree with a handsome grey trunk. Drought tolerant either way.

Where it works best

Coastal gardens. This is the job it was built for. It handles salt spray, sandy soil and constant wind, and belongs in the front row of a beach house planting.

Screening, hedging and windbreaks. Plant 2m apart in a single row, or a staggered double row along an exposed boundary. The canopies knit into a solid screen without competing, and the variegation still gets enough light to stay bright.

Feature planting. As a single specimen in a lawn or courtyard, the pale foliage does the work of a flowering shrub all year.

Growing the variegated New Zealand Christmas tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. Variegated foliage needs strong light to hold its contrast; in shade the cream fades toward green and growth goes loose. It suits warm temperate, subtropical, cool temperate and mediterranean gardens, which covers most of coastal Australia. It takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland districts are marginal.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility, and it is happy in sand and thin coastal soil. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound and work compost through the bed first. Mulch 75mm deep, clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first summer, then step it back. Once the roots are down it is genuinely drought tolerant, and a controlled release fertiliser in early spring is all it asks for. Overfeeding costs you flowers.

Pruning. Prune straight after flowering, because next summer's buds form on the growth that follows. It reshoots readily from old wood, so a hedge can be cut back hard if it gets away.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in 200mm pots and sold as a pack of six, the practical way to buy it for a hedge or a staggered coastal planting. Plants are propagated from cuttings so the variegation comes true, and each arrives with a full root system. Variegated forms grow more slowly than the plain green species, so expect steady rather than rapid progress at first.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full range of trees
• Compare other flowering trees
• Hedging and screening plants for exposed sites
• Preparing a new garden bed before planting

Common questions

Does it only grow near the beach?

No. Coastal exposure is what it tolerates, not what it requires. It grows just as well in an inland warm temperate or mediterranean garden, provided the drainage is good and winter frosts stay light.

Why are some new shoots plain green?

Variegated plants occasionally throw a reverted shoot with no cream margin. Cut it out flush at its origin as soon as you see it, because green growth grows faster and will take over if left.