Native or Exotic? Choosing the Right Planting Palette for Your NZ Garden

Native or exotic? It's one of the first questions we work through with every DIY Designs client, and the best answer is almost always: a bit of both, chosen for your site.

New Zealand natives are hard to beat for low-fuss, bird-friendly planting – many shrug off coastal wind, clay, and dry banks once established, and they bring tui and fantails right to your window.

Exotics earn their place too: they give you seasonal colour, sculptural structure, and the deciduous shade that makes a northern deck usable through summer.

The real skill is matching the palette to your conditions and to how much weekend maintenance you genuinely want to do.

A steep, dry bank wants tough natives; a sheltered courtyard can carry fussier feature plants.

When Kerry designs your planting plan, every species is chosen for your soil, aspect, and lifestyle – so the garden still looks good in five years, not just on planting day.

Ready to plan your planting? Browse our garden design services or call Kerry on 0274 994 093.