The Patterson Border of New Zealand plants
by John Edgington
A resident of Mecklenburgh Square, Dr Derek Patterson (1922-2003), established the eastern border of plants native to New Zealand, including some rarely seen in Britain. A few are endemic to the Chatham Islands where Derek was at one time the islands’ physician.
The border is mainly evergreen, with splashes of colour from the flowers of Kowhai (Sophora), tree daisies (Brachyglottis, Olearia), Manuka or Tea Tree (Leptospermum), Poro-poro (Solanum laciniatum), Corokia, Hebe and New Zealand Iris (Libertia), from the leaves of Southern Beech (Nothofagus) and Pittosporum, and from bronzed grasses and sedges.
The border is maintained much as Derek left it. Many unusual and tender plants thrive in London’s micro-climate though moisture-lovers do less well in the dry soil beneath the dense canopy of Plane trees. Currently some 90 species are represented (look below for a full list) and these are augmented as the need arises to replace plants that succumb to drought or frost.
TREES AND SHRUBS
| Alectryon excelsus | Titoki, New Zealand oak |
| Aristotelia serrata | Makomako, wineberry |
| Brachyglottis greyi | |
| Brachyglottis compacta | |
| Brachyglottis repanda | Rangiora |
| Brachyglottis repanda x greyi | Hybrid rangiora |
| Chordospartium muritai | |
| Clianthus puniceus | Ngutu-kaka, red kowhai |
| Coprosma repens | Taupata, mirror plant |
| Coprosma repens | ‘Pacific Night’ |
| Coprosma repens | ‘Painter’s Palette’ |
| Coprosma repens | ‘Pink Splendour’ |
| Coprosma repens x C. propinqua | (natural hybrid) |
| Coprosma rigida (x 3) | |
| Coprosma robusta | Karamu |
| Coprosma robusta x C. propinqua | (natural hybrid) |
| Cordyline australis | Ti kouka, cabbage tree |
| Cordyline australis | ‘Purpurea’ |
| Corokia x cheesemanii =C. cotoneaster x C. buddleioides | Korokio-tarangi hybrid |
| Dacrydium cupressinum | Rimu, red pine |
| Dodonaea viscosa | Akeake |
| Fuchsia x colensoi =F. excorticata x F. perscandens | Bush fuchsia (natural hybrid) |
| Griselinia littoralis | Kapuka, broadleaf |
| Hebe | ‘Pink Payne’ or ‘La Seduisante’ |
| Hebe salicifolia | Koromiko |
| Hebe speciosa | |
| Hebe speciosa | ‘Variegata’ |
| *Hebe chathamica | |
| Hebe x franciscana | ‘Variegata’ |
| Hoheria angustifolia | Narrow-leaved ribbonwood |
| Hoheria lyallii | Mountain ribbonwood |
| Hoheria populnea | Houhere, lacebark |
| Hoheria populnea | ‘Purpurea’ |
| Leptospermum scoparium | Manuka, tea tree |
| Leptospermum scoparium | ‘Pink Cascade’ |
| Lophomyrtis bullata x obcordata | (natural hybrid) |
| Metrosideros umbellata | Southern rata |
| Myrsine australis | Mapou, Red matipo |
| Nothofagus fusca | Red beech |
| Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides | Mountain beech |
| Notospartium glabrescens | Pink tree broom |
| Olearia ilicifolia | Hakeke, mountain holly |
| Olearia avicenniifolia x O.moschata | natural hybrid |
| Olearia paniculata | Akiraho |
| Pittosporum anomalum | |
| Pittosporum crassifolium | Karo |
| Pittosporum tenuifolium | ‘Country Park’ |
| Pittosporum tenuifolium | ‘Variegatum’ |
| *Pittosporum fairchildii | Three Kings pittosporum |
| Plagianthus regius | Manatu, ribbonwood |
| Podocarpus hallii | Hall’s totara |
| Prumnopitys ferruginea | Miro, brown pine |
| Pseudopanax chathamicus | Chatham Island lancewood |
| Pseudopanax crassifolius | Horoeka, lancewood |
| Pseudopanax discolor | |
| Pseudopanax ferox | Toothed lancewood |
| Pseudopanax laetus | |
| Solanum laciniatum | Poroporo |
| Sophora microphylla | Kowhai |
| Sophora microphylla f Chathamica | Chatham Island kowhai |
| Sophora microphylla f Molloyi | Stephens Island kowhai |
| Sophora prostrata | Prostrate kowhai |
| Sophora | ‘Dragon’s Gold’ |
HERBACEOUS PLANTS AND GROUND-COVER
| Aciphylla crosby-smithii | Crosby-Smith’s Spaniard |
| Aciphylla subflabellata | Fan-like Spaniard |
| Arthropodium cirratum | Rengarenga, rock lily |
| Astelia chathamica | Chatham Islands Astelia |
| Carex testacea | |
| Carex trifida | |
| Cortaderia richardii | Toetoe |
| Dianella intermedia | Rena, blueberry |
| Euphorbia glauca | Maori spurge |
| Geranium traversii | Chatham Island geranium |
| Haloragis erecta | |
| Leptinella squalida | |
| Libertia grandiflora | NZ iris |
| Libertia ixioides | NZ iris |
| Libertia peregrinans | NZ iris |
| Microsorum pustulatum | Hound’s tongue fern |
| Phormium chathamica | Chatham Islands flax |
| Phormium | ‘Tricolor’ |
| Uncinia uncinata | Red tussock sedge |