Libertia ‘Shadow Star’

Libertia 'Shadow Star' (Libertia peregrinans 'Shadow Star') is a low strappy clump for the front of a bed, reaching about 40cm tall and 50cm across. The upright leaves are striped cream and green, then warm to orange as the weather turns cold, so the border shifts through the year rather than sitting flat. It is a New Zealand plant and a tough one: salt, wind, frost and dry spells are all taken in its stride.

Why you'll love it

• Colour without relying on flowers. The cream and green striping carries the whole year, and cold weather adds an orange flush through the leaf.
• It stays where you put it. At 40cm tall and 50cm wide it edges a path without creeping over it or hiding the plants behind.
• Built for exposed positions. Salt, wind and drought tolerant once established, which suits coastal blocks and windy front gardens.
• Close to no maintenance. No pruning schedule and no staking. Pull the spent leaves out by hand once a year and it looks after itself.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 40cm apart for a continuous border along a path or driveway, or across a wider bed as a mass planting. The clumps knit together within a season and still read as a clean line.

Pots, rockeries and coastal gardens. It is small enough for a courtyard pot and at home in the sharp drainage of a rockery or a sandy seaside bed.

Growing Libertia 'Shadow Star' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the strongest striping and the best winter orange, while part shade is tolerated with muted colour. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and subtropical gardens, and it is frost hardy, so southern and tableland gardens are no problem. In humid subtropical summers, an open position with air movement helps.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Sandy and gravelly soils suit it; on heavy clay plant on a raised mound with compost worked through, and keep mulch clear of the crown.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer while the roots take hold, then only in long dry spells. One light feed of slow release fertiliser in early spring covers the season.

Pruning. None needed. Comb the old leaves out by hand in late winter, and lift and divide congested clumps every three or four years to keep them dense.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock, so plants arrive young: a small fan of leaves on a root system built to go straight into the ground. That is the sensible size for a border, where you need numbers and a young plant settles faster than a large one. Expect a clump around 20cm across by the end of the first season, and full size in the second.

Plants are packed upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the grasses and strappy leaf range
• How to choose edging plants for a garden bed
• Coastal and salt tolerant plants
• Plants for rockeries and gravel gardens

Common questions

How many do I need for a border?

Plant 40cm apart, which is five plants for every two metres of edge. Wider spacing leaves gaps that take a second season to close over.

Does it spread and become a problem?

It creeps slowly on short rhizomes, widening the clump rather than running through a bed. Lifting and dividing every few years keeps it in bounds.

Will frost damage the leaves?

No. It is frost hardy, and cold is exactly what brings the orange tones out. Growth slows over winter, then picks up again in spring.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Yes, in a free draining mix in a pot with a working drainage hole. Water more often than a plant in the ground, and divide the clump once it fills the pot.