💚 Dodonaea Viscosa – The Wind-Taming Wonder of Aotearoa🌿

Need a hardy-as shrub that can take on wind, salt, sun and still look flash in your garden? Meet Dodonaea Viscosa – aka akeake, a tough and beautiful native superstar that’s made for New Zealand conditions 🇳🇿💪

Whether you’re coastal, rural or suburban, this bronze-leafed beauty brings structure, colour, and resilience – all while standing proud in the face of wind and weather! 🌳🌞🌊

🌟 Why Gardeners Rate Dodonaea

🍃 Native Strength:
Born and bred in Aotearoa, akeake is one of our hardiest natives, great for hedging, screening, and shelterbelts

🌬️ Wind & Coastal Champion:
Laughs in the face of harsh conditions – wind, salt spray, drought, and poor soils? No problem! 💨🌊

🟤 Bronze to Green Foliage:
Features stunning shiny leaves that can range from deep green to rich bronze-purple, adding contrast and texture 🌿🟤💜

📏 Fast Grower:
Can shoot up to 4–6 metres tall – great if you’re impatient and want shelter yesterday ⏩🌳

🧠 Low Maintenance Legend:
Once established, it pretty much takes care of itself – just give it a haircut if you want to keep it tidy ✂️

💡 Top Uses in the NZ Garden

🏡 Privacy, Please!
Akeake makes a great fast-growing hedge or screen – perfect for shielding your home from wind or nosey neighbours 🙈🌿

🌾 Mixed Native Plantings
Pair with flax, pittosporum, cabbage trees, or grasses for a lush native landscape that’s both hardy and beautiful 🇳🇿🌱

🪵 Shelterbelts for Lifestyle Blocks
Ideal for rural properties needing reliable windbreaks with visual appeal 🚜🌬️

💜 Accent or Feature Plant
Its bronze glow and upright form make it stand out as a specimen shrub, especially in modern gardens

✂️ Tips for Growing Dodonaea

• ☀️ Loves full sun

• 💧 Water to establish – then it’s drought-tough

• 🌱 Prune to shape or keep compact

• 🧡 Mix with other NZ natives for biodiversity and beauty

🌿 The Final Word

If you want a native shrub that works as hard as you do, looks good while doing it, and thrives in some of the toughest spots in Aotearoa – Dodonaea viscosa is your go-to.

It's the ultimate low-fuss, high-impact plant for modern NZ gardens 🌱