Olearia traversii, the Chatham Island daisy bush or akeake, is one of the toughest evergreen shrubs you can plant on an exposed or coastal site. Fast and dense, it carries glossy dark green leaves that are silvery white and felted beneath, and it shrugs off salt spray and relentless wind that would scorch almost any other evergreen. If you need a dependable windbreak, hedge or screen by the sea, few plants do the job better.Rated RHS H4 and hardy to around -10C, it is reliably hardy in mild and coastal gardens. Move it further inland and it turns a touch more borderline: here it is sodden winter ground and freezing, drying winds that put it under pressure, far more than any straightforward frost. Given sharp, free draining soil it comes through winter in good shape and holds its glossy foliage all year round.Water regularly through the first couple of summers to build a strong root system, after which it becomes impressively drought tolerant. It responds beautifully to clipping, so you can hold it as a tight formal hedge or let it grow into a billowing informal screen. For a coastal boundary, space plants around 45 to 60 cm apart and trim two or three times through the growing season. It also settles happily into a large container for a season or two on an exposed terrace.Explore more of our hardy exotics, browse the full range of coastal plants, and see our other screening and hedging plants. Olearia is equally at home in exotic borders or grown in pots and containers. Before you buy, it is worth reading our guide to what to expect from hardy exotics through the seasons. Every plant is nursery grown, carefully selected for a healthy root system, and packed with care to arrive in superb condition.
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