Lancewood Dark Star

A recent cultivar of the New Zealand native, Pseudopanax Dark Star is a large, borderline hardy, evergreen shrub with an upright, slightly spreading, architectural habit. The leathery deep green leaves have a lime-green mid-rib, maturing to deep purple-flushed green, and are divided into three toothed leaflets on upright, bronze-coloured stems. Inconspicuous flowers are borne only in warm summers, and are popular with bees; if berries follow, they make good food for birds. Lancewood Dark Star needs moist soil when young (but should not be over-watered) and is hardy in areas which get only a few degrees of frost, like urban gardens near the coast. It makes a good pot-plant in a large container in soil-based compost with added sharp sand, brought in for the winter. It needs minimal pruning – prune if the branches get too long or congested, in late winter or early spring; it may need restrictive pruning if grown under glass, and tolerates clipping.