colours the coastal garden hedges
- Size
- Height: 2–4 m, Spread: 1.5–2.5 m, upright shrub
- Lifespan
- 20–30 years
- Diet
- Not applicable - autotrophic. Photosynthetic shrub. Obtains nutrients from well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade.
- Habitat
- Gardens, hedges, screens and coastal plantings. Prefers well-drained soils with full sun to partial shade. Tolerates wind, salt spray, drought.
- Range
- Cultivated throughout New Zealand. Not found in the wild. A garden cultivar derived from Griselinia littoralis. Widely grown for colourful stems.
- Endemism
- Endemic
- Main Threats
- No significant conservation threats as this is a cultivated variety. Not applicable to wild populations. Hardy and fast-growing in garden settings.
- Population
- This is a garden cultivar, not a wild species. It is widely grown in New Zealand gardens for its colourful stems. No formal conservation assessment exists.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
- Human Risk
- harmless
- Handling Note
- native shrub, safe to handle
- Conservation Note
- Cultivar of endemic shrub; widespread in cultivation and gardens.
- Assessment
- NZTCS Vascular Plants (2023)
- Te Ao Māori
- This cultivar was bred for its colourful red stems. It is named Twilight for the reddish glow of the stems. It is a favourite for adding winter interest to the garden. It is also known as Red Stemmed Broadleaf. It has no traditional Māori significance, as it is a modern cultivar. It represents the adaptation of a common native tree for ornamental use, bringing colour and interest to the winter garden.
You see the colour on its bones. Griselinia littoralis 'Twilight' is a popular garden cultivar. It has glossy, green leaves and distinctive red-purple stems. A shrub that wears its colour on its bones. The stem colour is most intense in cooler months. When the red-purple tones deepen and become more pronounced. The leaves are oval-shaped. Up to eight centimetres long. With a smooth, shiny surface. They are arranged alternately along the stems. A plant that saves its best for winter.
The plant is a hardy, fast-growing shrub. It makes excellent hedging. It tolerates clipping well. Ideal for coastal gardens. Where its glossy leaves stand up to salt spray and wind. The red-purple stems provide winter interest. When the leaves have fallen or been clipped back. A plant that makes a good fence.
Twilight Griselinia is a selected form of the native broadleaf. Which is found throughout New Zealand. The parent species is a common coastal and lowland tree. But this cultivar was selected for its colourful stems.
The cultivar is named Twilight for the reddish glow of the stems. Which can look like the light of dusk or dawn. It is also known as Red Stemmed Broadleaf. The stem colour is most pronounced on new growth. So regular pruning encourages the brightest colour.
To find Twilight Griselinia is to look in the gardens and hedges of New Zealand. It is a plant of cultivation. Not of the wild.
The hedge is trimmed. The stems are red-purple. Glowing in the winter light. The leaves are glossy. Green against the dark. The shrub does not know it was selected for its colour. It does not know it has a name. It just grows. That is what it was made to do.
This cultivar was bred for its colourful red stems. It is named Twilight for the reddish glow of the stems. It is a favourite for adding winter interest to the garden. It is also known as Red Stemmed Broadleaf. It has no traditional Māori significance. As it is a modern cultivar. It represents the adaptation of a common native tree for ornamental use. Bringing colour and interest to the winter garden.