NZ Christmas Bush Velvet Sky

NZ Christmas Bush 'Velvet Sky' (Metrosideros collina 'Velvet Sky') is a compact screening shrub with soft grey green foliage and crimson bottlebrush flowers over summer. It reaches about 2m tall and 1.5m wide, the awkward height most gardens need and few shrubs fill neatly. The velvety leaf sets it apart, giving a fence line a silver cast rather than the usual flat green.

Why you'll love it

• Screens at a genuinely useful height. Two metres covers a colourbond fence or a neighbour's window without needing a tree.
• Grey green velvet foliage. The soft leaf colour sits well against rendered walls and pale paving, and lifts darker planting around it.
• Crimson flowers that bring birds in. Nectar rich bottlebrush blooms through summer draw honeyeaters, bees and butterflies.
• Made for exposed coastal sites. Salt, wind and drought tolerance keep it together on a beachfront boundary where softer hedges shred.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense hedge. At that spacing the canopies meet in two to three seasons and the row stays furnished to the ground.

Coastal gardens and windbreaks. A staggered double row at 1m spacing filters wind instead of blocking it, which is what an exposed block actually needs.

Pots and feature planting. A single plant clips into a neat ball, and a pot 500mm or wider holds one comfortably on a courtyard or a wide balcony.

Growing NZ Christmas Bush Velvet Sky in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth and heaviest flowering; part shade is tolerated but the screen stays open. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland districts and the tablelands are better with a hardier hedge, or a pot kept under shelter.

Soil. Free draining soil of almost any type, including sand. On clay, plant on a raised mound with compost through the bed, and keep 75mm of mulch clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep water weekly through the first summer, then taper off as it becomes drought tolerant. A controlled release shrub fertiliser in early spring holds the foliage colour and supports flowering.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density, then trim after flowering finishes in late summer. It reshoots slowly from old wood, so hold the shape with two light trims a year rather than one hard cutback.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock and as a 200mm pack of six. Tube stock is young and single stemmed, and it is the value choice for a long hedge run, taking a season longer to close. The 200mm plants arrive branched and get a shorter screen away faster.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect a quiet month after planting while the roots take hold, then steady growth through spring and summer. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant and maintain a hedge
• Screening plants that finish at 1m to 2m
• Salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens
• Dwarf NZ Christmas Bush Little Ollie for the same flowers at about 1.2m

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. Closer planting does not close the gap faster and only makes watering and feeding harder over the life of the hedge.

How tall will it get if I leave it?

About 2m tall and 1.5m wide. Two trims a year hold it lower, around 1.2m to 1.5m, without the base thinning out.

Will it handle salt spray?

Yes. It is one of the better shrubs for a front line coastal position, tolerating salt laden wind that burns the growth tips of most hedging plants.

Is it frost hardy?

Light frost only. Established plants shrug off a few cold mornings, but repeated hard frost damages the growth tips and eventually the whole shrub.