Akeake is a fast-growing bushy shrub or small tree which is known for producing striking green or purple leaves and “flower” from late autumn to spring. They’re considered as fast-growing as they roughly take about 5 years to reach a height of 4m/ 5m and are considered fully matured after about 7 years. This makes them a great option for hedging and shelterbelt planting.
If you’re looking at planting akeake they prefer drier sites and grow well on coastal areas as well as up steep hillsides, dunes and cliffs. It’s drought tolerant and handles mild frost which makes it an ideal option in any garden, but beware as they actually don’t like the shade.
Akeake are easy to grow and aren’t fussy at all. Akeake seedlings are best planted in late autumn to early winter, this allows the roots to develop before the soil gets too cold. To get started make sure to find a sunny spot and prep the soil by removing weeds and adding some nitrophoska to boost and balance the nutrients in your soil. Plant your seedlings 1m apart if you are trying to create a dense hedge, this will allow for sufficient room for the roots to grow. Your seedlings will need an initial watering every few days if it doesn’t rain, this will ensure their best possible start. Once you’ve planted your seedlings, make sure to mulch them to keep in the moisture as well as to suppress weed growth. Keep the mulch depth around the plant light, about 1 cm deep when close to the stems. Top this up six monthly to get the best out of your plants.
If you’re planting akeake to make a hedge, think about mixing up your natives and try planting your akeake with corokia, manuka, kanuka and pittosporum. Mixing the natives will help create a dense privacy hedge and by using different evergreen native varieties you’re creating a more charismatic and compact hedge which creates a lovely backdrop to the deciduous trees of winter.
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