Olearia paniculata

The Olearia paniculata, also known as tree aster due to its tiny star-shaped flowers, is a beautiful evergreen bush from mild climates appreciated for its vigor, its beautifully undulate olive green foliage, and its pleasantly fragrant flowering in late autumn. Not very hardy but resistant to salt spray and not demanding in terms of soil type, it is a perfect choice for coastal areas, both on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. An excellent hedging plant, it also stands out when planted in contrast to shrubs with dark foliage.

The Olearia paniculata is a beautiful shrub reaching 2 to 3 m (7 to 10ft) in height and 1.50 m (5ft) in width. It is a plant from the Asteraceae family native to both the North and South Islands of New Zealand, and the East of Greymouth Cape. It is found in the wild in coastal areas, mountain scrub vegetation, and at the edge of forests. Its branches bear ovate, leathery leaves with highly undulate margins, green-yellow on the upper side and white to buff on the underside. Each leaf measures 4 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3in) long and 1.6 to 3 cm (1in) wide. Flowering takes place in October-November depending on the climate. The very small, highly fragrant flowers, reminiscent of white daisies with yellow hearts, are gathered in sparsely paniculate clusters at the ends of the branches. The fruit is an achene that will be dispersed by the wind, not very aesthetic, will benefit from light pruning to remove it.

Hardy to approximately -8/-9 °C, the Olearia paniculata can be used in a medium-sized hedge perfect for coastal areas. It will work well when planted in combination with other evergreen shrubs such as bushy ceanothus ('Concha', 'Puget Blue', 'Skylark'), Elaeagnus, Leptospermum, Grevillea, or even red-flowering callistemons (Callistemon citrinus 'Splendens'). For gardeners in more continental climates, it remains a beautiful conservatory plant. In a greenhouse or conservatory, it will combine well with an orange tree, a myrtle, a Tibouchina, or a mimosa to create an extremely decorative quartet, evoking landscapes with exotic charm and scents. Its combination with a Tuxedo Ceanothus, with dark foliage, is particularly successful.