Astelia chathamica

Sunset

Astelia chathamica, photo courtesy of Linda Lamb Peters

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Zones 5, 6, 14-17, 19-24

Full, Partial

Moderate

Silver Leaf

Evergreen, Perennials, Decorative fruit or berries

ASTELIA

Grown for their silky, silvery,straplike foliage, these increasinglypopular evergreen perennialsoffer a handsome contrastto low, mounding plants or billowinggrasses. They make astriking centerpiece in a bigcontainer or a perennial border.Small spring flowers are bornein branched clusters on female plants but are not as showy asthe berries that follow. Plantsmust have excellent drainage;they grow best in rich, acidicsoil that is high in organic matter.

Astelia chathamica

Shiny, silvery swordlike leaves are 3–4 ft. long and 2–4 in. wide, forming a clump 4 ft. tall and 6 ft. wide. Small,cream-colored flowers are borne in clusters 20 in. tall; berries are orange.