Astelia chathamica Silver Shadow

The Astelia chathamica Silver Shadow is a striking perennial plant that resembles a Phormium in its habit and favours fairly similar growing conditions. This recent horticultural creation stands out for its denser habit, forming a tightly-packed large clump, but also for its stunning silver foliage of an almost metallic appearance. Its broad linear leaves slightly trail at their tips and are completely covered in bristles that shimmer in the light. This evergreen plant is a marvel with its own requirements: it clearly prefers acidic to neutral soil that remains moist in summer and abhors severe frosts. Magnificent in central European climates, it will also be a centerpiece when placed in a very large pot on the terrace during the warmer season in colder regions.

The Chatham Island Astelia belongs to the Asteliaceae family or the Liliaceae family according to classification. It is a horticultural hybrid dating back to 2004, resulting from cross-breeding between the Astelia chathamica Silver Spear originating from the Chatham Islands, with its large and silky foliage, and the A. nervosa, native to the peat meadows of North Island in New Zealand, with its fine and very silvery foliage. The 'Silver Shadow' leaves reach an intermediate width between that of their two parents, which are covered in bristles on both sides. This superb rhizomatous perennial grows in a large non-trailing clump. With an upright and arching habit, it reaches about 1.10 m (3 ft 7 in) in height depending on growing conditions, with a spread of 80-90 cm (31.5-35.4 in). Its very long, slightly stiff leaves are slightly arched and pointed at their tips, displaying a green colour masked by numerous bristles, giving the overall plant different shades of steel grey to white to almond green, which are iridescent in the sun. Flowering stems appear in spring, depending on the climate, emerging from within the foliage. They bear discreet but fragrant brown flowers, followed by the formation of small fruits on female plants, which are drupes of a beautiful bright orange colour. Its relatively undeveloped root system allows it to adapt well to container cultivation.

This Astelia chathamica Silver Shadow is a plant of great ornamental value, suitable for large beds or large rockeries, preferably in mild oceanic climates, as it dislikes the heat and prolonged drought of Mediterranean summers, as well as calcareous soils. Whether used as a solitary plant or planted in groups, it brings structure to space and brings a very exotic charm to the garden. In cold regions, it will thrive in a very large pot on the terrace or balcony, to admire its presence during the warmer season, and can be overwintered frost-free in a lightly heated greenhouse or conservatory.  In urban gardens, it will soften concrete structures. For an exotic and contrasting atmosphere, it can be combined, for example, with Leptospermum scoparium, a pink to red ball-shaped plant that bloom in summer, Helichrysum rosmarinifolium 'Silver Jubilee', Pittosporum tenuifolium Tom Thumb, or even Olearia macrodonta 'Major', plants also from Oceania, likewise perfect for coastal areas. Like tall grasses, it is also a wonderful perennial for a modern garden with defined lines: a clump of Muhlenbergia capillaris, a veritable pink cloud in late summer, or Eragrostis trichodes Summer Train, resembling a golden to copper mist, should, with this Astelia, create a trio of great beauty.