{"product_id":"variegated-new-zealand-christmas-tree-metrosideros-excelsa-variegata","title":"Variegated New Zealand Christmas Tree - Metrosideros excelsa ‘Variegata’","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eVariegated New Zealand Christmas Tree - Metrosideros excelsa ‘Variegata’\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis cream-margined form of the New Zealand pohutukawa, \u003cem\u003eMetrosideros excelsa\u003c\/em\u003e, carries a broad creamy-yellow edge around the grey-green centre of every leathery leaf, which keeps the canopy light and bright out of flower. Crimson brush flowers arrive in early summer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy the Variegated New Zealand Christmas Tree\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColour in every season\u003c\/strong\u003e: Cream-edged leaves keep the tree bright all year and lift the darker greens planted around it.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSummer flowering\u003c\/strong\u003e: Crimson stamens against the pale leaf margins give a sharper contrast than the green species manages.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHouse-block proportions\u003c\/strong\u003e: A more modest mature size keeps it in scale with a suburban garden where the full-sized pohutukawa would outgrow its space.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSea-air resilience\u003c\/strong\u003e: Like the green species, it stands up to sea spray and constant onshore wind on exposed frontages.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTakes clipping\u003c\/strong\u003e: Regular trimming holds it as a dense, coloured screen, or it can be lifted onto a clean single trunk.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBeachside front garden\u003c\/strong\u003e: Set in a front lawn or gravel garden, a single specimen becomes the signature tree of a coastal home.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVariegated boundary screen\u003c\/strong\u003e: A clipped line of these gives privacy on a windy side boundary with a lighter look than a plain green hedge.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDark-backdrop feature\u003c\/strong\u003e: The cream leaf edge shows up sharply in front of charcoal cladding, rendered walls and dark-leaved shrubs.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSalt-tolerant mixed beds\u003c\/strong\u003e: Combines with lomandra, coastal rosemary and cushion bush in beds that face the sea.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.5 to 3.5m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 4 to 6m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spring or early autumn, in a frost-free position\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Loam or coastal sand suits it, and clay will do if it drains; avoid any site where puddles sit for a day after rain\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e For the first summer, water deeply every three or four days, easing off once autumn rain arrives, and in humid weather check new shoots for the yellow powdery spots of myrtle rust. Prune out any branch that reverts to all-green leaves, and keep the tree well away from the house, drains and pool coping, as its strong surface roots can lift paving. Pohutukawa has escaped onto coastal cliffs near Sydney and elsewhere in the south-east, so plant it on the garden side of the house rather than on a boundary with a reserve or dune.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4 to 6m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4 to 6m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moderate\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen; grey-green leaves with broad cream margins\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e New Zealand (parent species)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Crimson red\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"45L","offer_id":60207470870814,"sku":"ND-1879-45L","price":915.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/variegated-new-zealand-christmas-tree-metrosideros-excelsa-variegata.jpg?v=1791514311","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/variegated-new-zealand-christmas-tree-metrosideros-excelsa-variegata","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}