Astelia Red Shadow

Astelia Red Shadow is a perennial plant, albeit not very hardy, but with a remarkable design. Resembling a compact phormium in its habit, it displays unique foliage, gently multicoloured and covered in silvery bristles that beautifully play with light. Its long ribbon-like leaves with a metallic sheen offer different shades of grey, brown, brick-red, and bronze-green. It will make a lovely centerpiece when planted in a large pot on a contemporary terrace during the warmer seasons in colder regions.

Astelia belongs to the Asteliaceae family, or the Liliaceae family according to classification. It is a relatively rare horticultural hybrid, originating from the species 'Astelia nervosa', native to the peat meadows of the North Island in New Zealand, with very silvery foliage. 'Red Shadow' has fairly wide leaves, tapered and slightly arched, covered in bristles. This superb rhizomatous perennial forms a dense, non-spreading clump. It reaches approximately 80 cm (32 in) in height, with an equivalent spread. The leaves display bands of different colours, obscured by numerous bristles, giving the foliage a quite fantastic appearance. Flower stalks emerge from the foliage in spring, depending on the climate. They bear rather inconspicuous but fragrant flowers. Its relatively underdeveloped root system allows it to adapt well to container cultivation.

Astelia Red Shadow is a plant of great ornamental value, suitable for medium-sized borders, rockeries, or to adorn a pot, preferably in a very mild oceanic climate, as it dislikes the heat and prolonged drought of very hot summers, as well as limestone soils. Whether used as a specimen or planted in groups, it structures the space and gives a very exotic charm to the garden. In colder regions, it will thrive in a large pot on the terrace or balcony, allowing it to be overwintered frost-free in a cold greenhouse or a minimally heated conservatory. In an urban or contemporary garden, it softens concrete structures. For an exotic and contrasting ambience, it can be paired, for example, with Leptospermum Karo Pearl Star, a soft pink ball of flowers in late spring-summer, the dark-toned Pittosporum tenuifolium Tom Thumb, or Olearia macrodonta 'Major', plants also originating from Oceania, and perfect companions for coastal areas. Like grasses, it is also a wonderful perennial for a modern garden with clean lines: a clump of Muhlenbergia capillaris, a true pink cloud in late summer, or Eragrostis trichodes Summer Train, resembling a golden-copper mist, would create a trio of great beauty alongside this Astelia.