Ruud Kleinpaste: What to do in your garden now El Niño is back

We’ve been warned – a dry spell is coming our way this summer in the form of El Niño. (little Boy!) 

We’ve seen this before, of course but I reckon it may need a bit of a reminder: 

Temperatures, Rainfall and Wind direction are the key elements of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. El Niño is characterised by more westerly winds, dropping more rain on the west coasts and less rain on the east coast. 

It also tends to create warmer summer temperatures in the east, making the drought conditions even trickier for gardeners. The North Island may likely see the worst effects. 

Keeping water tanks as full as possible might be a good idea. 

Planting drought-tolerant species will certainly ease the stress; so I went on a hunt for species that would be reasonably drought-tolerant. Southern Woods (South of Christchurch) has a good range of trees, shrubs and plants and Chris Smith sent me a few great tips, as well as a list of their best performers during El Niño. 

Brachyglottis greyii – Daisy Bush (aka shaggy Ragwort) 

Brachyglottis monroi – Monro’s Daisy; evergreen with yellow flowers 

Carmichaelia australis – common native broom – an insect magnet 

Coprosma acerosa – ground cover for dry/hot/coastal 

Coprosma brunnea – wiry ground cover with white to blue fruits; cold tolerant too. Birds and Lizards 

Coprosma crassifolia – divaricated shrub with small leaves – North and South Island 

Coprosma rugosa – “Needle-leaved Mountain coprosma – nice orange-brown species – stands out! 

Coprosma virescens – an orange and green species – another favourite of mine; 

Cordyline australis – good old cabbage tree: hardy in wetlands and in drought! Pain for lawnmowers 

Corokia cotoneaster - My plant to find native bees on spring flowers – colourful. 

Dodonaea viscosa - hopbush or “ake ake”; green version is NZ Native; reddish-brown ex Australia 

Elaeocarpus hookerianus known as Pōkākā; can do dry, but also cold 

Kanuka – Great flowering tree – a source of nectar for heaps of insects 

Melicytus alpinus – porcupine bush; brilliant mountain shrub – grows well at lower levels too 

Muehlenbeckia astonii – tough as! However I feel it’s a bit “over-used” in NZ gardens. 

Olearia – tree daisies – many types to choose from 

Ozothamnus – cottonwood 

Pseudopanax crassifolius – Lancewood! The story of Juvenile foliage and adult foliage 

Sophora microphylla – Sth Island Kowhai; watch the tui and bellbirds, the silver eyes and the Kereru 

Teucrium parvifolium – rather rare shrub endemic to New Zealand and quite at home on eastern 

side of our Islands, which indicates tolerance to dry spells 

Do a bit of research and see what would look great at your place. When you plant them, ensure you don’t “bury” them too deep and water them in for a few days to allow them to settle in. 

Of course, mulching will help (reduce evaporation), and if possible, planting in the cooler seasons 

Watering is often tricky: water well periodically rather than every week. If you let these shrubs dry out between waterings, they’ll send their roots in all directions to “look for water”. That sets them up to survive El Niño! 

If you are in Canterbury: go and see Chris and the team at Southern Woods – and a Dutch tip: 

time it well with their spring sale!!! 

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