Olearia traversii Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Chatham Island Daisy Bush (Akeake)

Olearia traversii

£14.99
Hardy in the UKSun-lovingEvergreen
Pot size
19cm / 3L £14.99

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Description

Olearia traversii, the Chatham Island daisy bush or akeake, is one of the toughest evergreen shrubs you can plant on an exposed or coastal site. Fast and dense, it carries glossy dark green leaves that are silvery white and felted beneath, and it shrugs off salt spray and relentless wind that would scorch almost any other evergreen. If you need a dependable windbreak, hedge or screen by the sea, few plants do the job better.

Rated RHS H4 and hardy to around -10C, it is reliably hardy in mild and coastal gardens. Move it further inland and it turns a touch more borderline: here it is sodden winter ground and freezing, drying winds that put it under pressure, far more than any straightforward frost. Given sharp, free draining soil it comes through winter in good shape and holds its glossy foliage all year round.

Water regularly through the first couple of summers to build a strong root system, after which it becomes impressively drought tolerant. It responds beautifully to clipping, so you can hold it as a tight formal hedge or let it grow into a billowing informal screen. For a coastal boundary, space plants around 45 to 60 cm apart and trim two or three times through the growing season. It also settles happily into a large container for a season or two on an exposed terrace.

Explore more of our hardy exotics, browse the full range of coastal plants, and see our other screening and hedging plants. Olearia is equally at home in exotic borders or grown in pots and containers. Before you buy, it is worth reading our guide to what to expect from hardy exotics through the seasons. Every plant is nursery grown, carefully selected for a healthy root system, and packed with care to arrive in superb condition.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Chatham Island Daisy Bush (Akeake)

Plant me in full sun and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Chatham Island Daisy Bush (Akeake)

Olearia traversii needs full sun and well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −10°C, standing an average UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Coastal & Exposed Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Screening & Privacy

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H4 · Hardy Exotic · down to around −10°C

reliably hardy on the coast, borderline in cold inland gardens with wet winters.

Position

Full sunSouth-facingEast-facingWest-facingExposedSheltered

full sun in an open, exposed or coastal spot. One of the very best shrubs for salt and wind.

Soil

ChalkLoamSandWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

any free draining soil, from sand to chalk to loam, across the full pH range. Good drainage matters most.

Watering

Water regularly through the first one to two growing seasons to settle the roots, after which it becomes very drought tolerant. It responds well to clipping two or three times a year, making a fast, dense evergreen hedge or screen. Read moreShow less

Water regularly through the first one to two growing seasons to settle the roots, after which it becomes very drought tolerant. It responds well to clipping two or three times a year, making a fast, dense evergreen hedge or screen.

Mature size

Height8-12 m
Spread4-8 m

Reaches full size in 10-20 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

Mar-Apr · White

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

Give a light prune to shape in spring; it takes clipping well and makes a good coastal hedge. Trim established hedges in summer.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity to people or pets; generally considered non-toxic. The fine felted hairs on the leaf undersides can occasionally cause minor skin or eye irritation during heavy pruning.

Native range

New Zealand (Chatham Islands)

Family

Asteraceae

Also known as

Olearia traversii

Genus

Olearia
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Olearia traversii hardy in the UK?

Yes, with one caveat. Olearia traversii is rated RHS H4 and hardy to around -10C, so it is reliably hardy in mild and coastal gardens. In colder inland gardens it is more borderline: cold combined with a wet winter and cold drying winds, not cold alone, is the main risk, so give it sharp drainage and a little shelter. See more of our coastal plants.

How big does Olearia traversii get and how fast does it grow?

It is a fast, dense evergreen that can reach roughly 8 to 12 m tall and 4 to 8 m wide if left unpruned, though it is almost always kept far smaller as a clipped hedge or screen. It responds very well to trimming, so you can hold it at whatever height suits your screening and hedging scheme.

Is Olearia traversii good for coastal and exposed sites?

It is one of the very best. Olearia traversii is exceptionally salt and wind tolerant and is used as a front line hedge on some of the most exposed Atlantic coasts. It makes an outstanding windbreak that shelters more tender plants behind it. Browse more coastal and exposed plants.

How do I grow Olearia traversii as a hedge or windbreak?

Plant in full sun on free draining soil, spacing plants around 45 to 60 cm apart for a hedge. Water well through the first couple of summers, then trim two or three times through the growing season to build a dense screen. It also grows happily in pots and containers on an exposed terrace.

Is Olearia traversii evergreen?

Yes. It is a broadleaf evergreen and holds its glossy dark green leaves, which are silvery white and felted beneath, all year round. For more on how hardy evergreens behave through the seasons, read our guide on what to expect from hardy exotics.

Is Olearia traversii toxic to pets or children?

There is no reported toxicity to people, dogs or cats, and it is generally considered non-toxic. The only minor point to note is that the fine felted hairs on the leaf undersides can occasionally cause mild skin or eye irritation during heavy pruning, so gloves are sensible for big trims.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
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Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

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From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

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All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

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Olearia traversii
£14.99