Astelia Red Shadow

Astelia Red Shadow (Astelia 'Red Shadow') is grown for its foliage: strappy blades washed bronze red over silver that shift with the angle of the light. It builds an arching clump about 80cm tall and 1m across and holds that colour every month of the year. Behind the silky looks sits a tough plant that takes frost, salt wind and dry spells.

Why you'll love it

• Colour without flowers. The bronze red blades carry the display all year, so a bed built around this plant has no off season.
• Tough where it counts. Frost hardy, salt tolerant, drought tolerant and wind tolerant once established, an unusual combination in a foliage plant this refined.
• A neat, predictable size. Roughly 80cm tall and 1m wide, so it fills a bed edge or a large pot without needing cutting back into shape.
• Low maintenance by nature. No staking, no deadheading, no annual prune. Pulling away the odd spent leaf is the year's work.

Where it works best

Pots and containers. The arching habit suits a raised pot where the leaves spill over the rim. One plant fills a 400mm to 500mm container.

Mass planting, borders and edging. Plant 70cm apart for a full mass planting. At that spacing the clumps knit into a continuous bronze band within two seasons, with no bare soil showing between them.

Coastal gardens and feature planting. Salt tolerance makes it usable near the coast, and a single clump against pale gravel or a rendered wall works as a feature on its own.

Growing Astelia Red Shadow in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun and part shade both work, and the colour is strongest with more light. This is a plant for cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens, not for tropical or subtropical humidity.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Work compost and coarse sand through heavy clay, or plant on a low mound, and keep mulch clear of the crown so water cannot sit against the base.

Water and feed. Deep water twice a week through the first summer, then taper off as it becomes drought tolerant. A controlled release fertiliser once in early spring is enough. Heavy feeding pushes soft green growth and dulls the bronze.

Pruning. None needed. Pull older leaves away from the base by hand in late winter, and divide a congested clump every four or five years to keep the centre full.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell this one as tube stock: a young plant carrying a handful of leaves rather than the full clump in the photograph. That is the sensible way to buy a plant you want in numbers. Expect it to fill a 200mm pot within a season and to reach mature size in two to three years in the ground.

Tube stock travels well because there is little top growth to knock about. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare grasses and strappy leaf plants
• Plants for coastal and salt exposed gardens
• How to choose edging plants for a garden bed
• Browse plants suited to pots and containers

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Set plants 70cm apart for a mass planting that closes over completely. A solo feature clump simply needs a metre of clear ground around it.

Will it keep its colour in shade?

Partly. It grows well in part shade, but the bronze red deepens with light, so a plant in dappled shade reads more silver green. Give it the sunniest spot you can if colour is the reason you are buying it.

Is it suited to a humid subtropical garden?

No. The recorded climate range is cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean. Gardeners further north are better served by a strappy native such as lomandra.

Can I grow it permanently in a pot?

Yes, and it is one of the better plants for the job. Use a container 400mm or wider with free draining mix, and divide it when the clump crowds the pot.