Metrosideros ‘Velvet Sky’

Metrosideros 'Velvet Sky' (Metrosideros collina hybrid) is the New Zealand Christmas bush bred to stay a shrub. It reaches about 4m tall and 3m wide instead of the ten metres a mature pohutukawa manages, and it carries dense red brush flowers over leathery grey green foliage. Salt, wind and dry spells barely register, which is why it turns up on exposed coastal blocks and around pools.

Why you'll love it

• Red flowers that fill with birds. The brush shaped flowers are heavy with nectar, and honeyeaters and bees work them for weeks through late spring and summer.
• Built for exposure. Salt tolerant and wind tolerant, so it holds its shape on a seafront boundary rather than shredding.
• Screening at a useful height. About 4m tall and 3m wide blocks a first floor window without becoming a tree.
• Drought tolerant once away. The thick leaves hold moisture, so it copes with a dry summer after the first two years.
• Very little maintenance. One trim a year after flowering keeps it dense.

Where it works best

Coastal gardens and windbreaks. A double staggered row at 1.5m spacing filters salt wind rather than blocking it, which is what an exposed block needs.

Screening and hedging. Plant 1.5m apart in a single row for a dense screen. Trim the sides once a year after flowering and it holds a wall of foliage from about half a metre up.

Poolside and feature planting. The tough leaves handle reflected heat and pool splash. It does drop spent flowers, so allow a week or two of skimming during the flush.

Growing Metrosideros 'Velvet Sky' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, always. Part shade gives a thin plant and few flowers. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens and takes light frost only, so cold inland districts, the tablelands and hard frosting southern gardens should look elsewhere.

Soil. Sandy and gravelly soils are ideal. What it will not accept is a bed that stays wet, so on clay plant on a raised mound at least 300mm high. Mulch 75mm deep, clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, weekly in the second, then leave it to rainfall. One controlled release feed in early spring is enough, since overfeeding pushes leaf at the expense of flowers.

Pruning. Flower buds form on wood made the previous season, so prune immediately after the summer flush and not in autumn or winter. That timing decides whether it flowers heavily every year.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tubestock: a young single stemmed plant with a compact root ball, well under knee height. It is an honest starting point rather than an instant screen, so allow three to four years before a row at 1.5m spacing reads as solid.

Tubes are among the best travellers we send, because the root ball holds together and the leaves are thick. Plant within a few days, water in well, then keep the soil damp but never soggy for six weeks. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Planning a coastal feature garden, including wind and salt exposure.
• Browse coastal and salt tolerant plants for the rest of the bed.
• Compare alternatives in screening plants from 2m to 4m.
• For a lower option, look at Metrosideros Little Ollie.

Common questions

How big does it get compared to a pohutukawa?

Much smaller. A pohutukawa is a large spreading tree; this hybrid holds at roughly 4m tall and 3m wide, and an annual trim keeps it lower again.

How far apart for a dense screen?

One and a half metres apart in a single row. On an exposed site, use two staggered rows at the same spacing so wind is filtered rather than deflected.

Will it cope with frost?

Light frost only. Established plants shrug off the odd cold morning, but repeated hard frosts burn the foliage and can kill young stock.