Rewarewa (New Zealand honeysuckle)
A striking, upright forest tree with dark red bottlebrush-like flowers around Labour Weekend that are a valuable nectar source for tūī, bellbird and bees. Be realistic about scale: this is a tall forest tree that can reach 20-28m at maturity, so it needs a large site, not a small suburban garden. Naturally occurs from the far north to about the Marlborough Sounds, so it isn't reliably grown further south.
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Spacing
- 400cm
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman
- Mature height
- 25m
- Flowering season
- Oct, Nov
- Attracts wildlife
- Tūī, Bellbird/korimako, Silvereye/tauhou, Bees
- Evergreen
- Yes
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: March-April and September-November. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: September-November.
Growing stages
Planting & establishmentFirst few months
- Full sun position needed for strong, upright growth
- Choose the planting site carefully - this becomes a genuinely tall forest tree, not a small suburban option
Early growthFirst 1-2 years
- Growth is upright and can be relatively quick, but keep the eventual 20-28m size in mind when planning nearby structures
- Naturally occurs from the far north to about the Marlborough Sounds, so it isn't reliably grown further south
FloweringOctober-November
- Dark red bottlebrush-like flowers appear around Labour Weekend
- Flowers are a valuable nectar source for tūī, bellbird and bees
Maturity
- Can reach 20-28m, so it needs a large site rather than a small garden
- Tūī, bellbird, silvereye and bees continue to visit the mature canopy