Hoheria lyallii
Mountain ribbonwood
Also known as Plagianthus lyallii
- Height × spread
- 7m × 5m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Average winter to - 10C (RHS H4)
- Flowers
- Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This is a shrub of great elegance, bell-shaped with pretty, toothed, heart-shaped leaves. These are coloured grey-green and turn yellow in the autumn. From July onwards, the plant is covered in wonderfully fragrant clusters of large, open cupped white flowers with creamy-yellow hearts, their yellow radiating into the base of the petals. The vanilla-like fragrance hangs in the air around the tree and it is best grown in a sheltered site so the scent is concentrated. It is a little tender and is best grown with the protection of a wall, except in mild areas. In the wonderful Logan Botanic Gardens, Scotland, they grow in numbers and luxuriate in the mild climate. This grows wild in New Zealand's South Island where it tends to form scrubby areas at the edge of forests. One person's scrub is another's cherished rarity. The Maoris use the bark to make a soothing drink.
- Flower colour
- White
- Foliage colour
- Green, Grey
- Autumn foliage
- Yellow
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes, sweet-vanilla
- Shape
- Bell
- Height
- 7m
- Spread
- 5m
- Height in 10 years
- 3m
- Spread in 10 years
- 2m
- Season of interest
- Summer
- Flowers in
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Scented garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, likes part shade, likes light shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Average winter to - 10C (RHS H4)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Wall cover, Structural
- Walls
- East facing
- Hazards
- No
- Pet safe
- Yes – listed in our pet-safe plants
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed young plants with slow release fertiliser
Spread a slow release fertiliser around the base of the plant to the edge of the foliage spread, so that it can feed the roots. It is helpful for this to be applied for several years.
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost until the plant becomes well established.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Winter
Winter · Planting
Prune to maintain the plant
The plant is best left largely unpruned. When dormant remove any branches that are dead or diseased. In addition, remove any branches that are awkwardly angled or which grow back through the centre of the plant spoiling its open shape.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.