Although it\u2019s more commonly found as a shrub in mainland Portugal, Metrosidero is a large evergreen tree with a very interesting colour\u2014greyish green\u2014that can reach up to 20 m in nature, under ideal conditions. It\u2019s extremely resistant to wind, poor soils, and salinity, which is why it\u2019s so popular here. A great choice if you don’t have the time or experience to care for plants, but you have a garden, balcony, or terrace and want plants well adapted to our climate that use little water. <\/p>\n
Although it\u2019s more commonly found as a shrub in mainland Portugal, Metrosidero is a large evergreen tree with a very interesting colour\u2014grey-green\u2014that can reach up to 20 m in nature, under ideal conditions. It\u2019s extremely resistant to wind, poor soils, and salinity, which is why it\u2019s so popular here. A great choice if you don\u2019t have the time or experience to care for plants, but you have a garden, balcony, or terrace and want plants well adapted to our climate that use little water. But this plant\u2019s versatility doesn\u2019t end there: it makes excellent hedges, as it tolerates frequent pruning, blocks wind\/visibility, and is fantastic for dividing spaces\u2014even in harsh conditions. When you think a plot is too difficult and no plant will adapt, try a Metrosidero. In general, it tolerates all soil types well, including heavier clay soils, stony or saline soils, as well as windy and very hot locations. It also flowers in the summer months, attracting various pollinating insects to the garden. It doesn\u2019t get any better than this!<\/p>\n
Scientific name<\/strong>: Metrosideros excelsa<\/em> CUIDADOS<\/strong> Fun fact<\/strong>: Native to New Zealand, they\u2019re abundant along the coast and are known as \u201cPohutukawa\u201d, which in the indigenous M\u0101ori language means \u201csprinkled by sea spray\u201d. A direct link to its resistance to sea breezes.<\/p>\n WARNING! Fotografia representativa \u2013 a fotografia apresentada \u00e9 de um exemplar existente em stock no momento da coloca\u00e7\u00e3o do produto no cat\u00e1logo online, pelo que \u00e9 uma refer\u00eancia. The plant supplied will be similar to the photo but, depending on the stage of its growth cycle, it may vary in shape, appearance, or size (e.g. different leaf tone, with or without flower\/fruit, etc.). A altura referida inclui o vaso pl\u00e1stico que se v\u00ea na fotografia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Although it\u2019s more commonly found as a shrub in mainland Portugal, Metrosidero is a large evergreen tree with a very interesting colour\u2014greyish green\u2014that can reach up to 20 m in nature, under ideal conditions. It\u2019s extremely resistant to wind, poor soils, and salinity, which is why it\u2019s so popular here. A great choice if you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":96011,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[1440,1438],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-86726","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-outdoor-plants","product_cat-plants","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/86726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=86726"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=86726"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=86726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Common names<\/strong>: Metrosidero, Fire Tree, Metross\u00eddero
Family<\/strong>: Myrtaceae<\/em>
Origin<\/strong>: Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand)
Climate<\/strong>: Temperate
Category<\/strong>: Outdoor plants
Approximate height<\/strong>: 50-60cm
Pot diameter<\/strong>: 22cm<\/p>\n
Light<\/strong>: Prefers full sun, which promotes healthy, compact growth and good flowering. Tolerates some bright partial shade but is not suitable for permanently shady locations.
Temperature<\/strong>: Adapts well to the mild and sunny conditions of most of Portugal, including coastal environments. Tolerates heat, wind, and maritime exposure, but should be protected from heavy frosts, especially while young and when grown in a planter, where roots are more exposed to temperature fluctuations.
Watering<\/strong>: Maintain regular watering during the plants’ establishment period. Once well established, Metrosideros shows good tolerance to periods of drought. When grown in a pot\/planter, it will need more frequent watering than a plant installed directly in the ground, particularly during the hottest and driest months of the Portuguese summer. Allow the top layer of substrate to dry slightly between waterings and avoid waterlogging.
Soil\/Substrate<\/strong>: Adapts to different soil types and tolerates relatively poor conditions, but thrives best in well-drained substrate.
Fertilization<\/strong>: Apply a fertilizer suitable for outdoor plants during spring and summer, following the dosage and frequency indicated by the manufacturer. For plants grown permanently in pots\/planters, fertilization helps replenish the nutrients available in the limited volume of substrate.
Pruning\/Maintenance<\/strong>: Tolerates pruning well and can be trimmed to control size and maintain a compact habit or form a small hedge. It is recommended to perform formative pruning preferably after flowering. Very frequent pruning or pruning at the wrong time can eliminate branches that would produce flowers.
Flowering<\/strong>: Produces showy flowers formed by numerous stamens, usually intense red, which contrast with the grey-green foliage. The exact timing may vary depending on the climate, age of the plants, and growing conditions. The species flowers naturally during summer in its native habitat.
Pet Friendly<\/strong>: There are no consistent references indicating significant toxicity of this plant for dogs and cats. Even so, it\u2019s recommended to avoid pets ingesting ornamental plants, as eating plant material can cause gastrointestinal discomfort in more sensitive animals.<\/p>\n