September 16, 2026 Justin Lewis

Golden Tree Daisy for Windy Gardens – A Hardy Native for Exposed Sites

Wind can be one of the most difficult conditions to deal with in a garden. An otherwise good site can become challenging when it is exposed to persistent winds, particularly on hillsides, elevated sections, open rural properties and new subdivisions where there is little existing shelter.

Golden Tree Daisy – Shawia solandri, formerly widely known as Olearia solandri – is a tough New Zealand native shrub particularly well suited to these exposed situations. Its fine foliage, flexible branching and naturally loose growth allow it to cope with conditions that can leave many more ornamental garden plants damaged, dried out or permanently misshapen.

Rather than simply surviving the wind, Golden Tree Daisy can also be used to change the conditions within a garden. Planted on the exposed side of a property, it can reduce wind speed and create a more protected area behind it where a wider range of plants can be grown.

Why Golden Tree Daisy is suited to windy gardens

Plants growing in exposed locations are subjected to almost constant movement. Large leaves can be torn, soft new growth damaged and moisture lost rapidly from both foliage and soil.

Golden Tree Daisy has a very different structure.

Its foliage is relatively fine and its branching is flexible and highly divided. Rather than presenting a large, solid surface to the wind, the plant allows some air to move through and around its growth.

Its natural habit is also useful. Shawia solandri does not need to develop into a perfectly symmetrical shrub. On exposed sites it can become irregular, layered and somewhat windswept, particularly where the prevailing wind consistently comes from one direction.

That appearance is not necessarily a defect. On genuinely exposed properties it is often exactly what a healthy, established shelter plant looks like.

What persistent wind does to a garden

Wind creates more than just the obvious problem of plants being blown around.

Persistent wind can:

increase moisture loss from leaves and soil
damage large or soft foliage
dry out new growth
make establishment of young plants more difficult
cause plants to grow unevenly
increase watering requirements
make outdoor living areas uncomfortable
restrict the range of plants that can successfully be grown.

This is particularly noticeable on elevated urban sections, Wellington hillsides, exposed subdivisions, open rural properties and hill-country gardens where there may be very little existing vegetation to slow the wind.

On particularly free-draining sites, wind exposure can combine with naturally dry soil conditions. See our Golden Tree Daisy for Dry Gardens & Drought-Prone Sites guide for more detail.

A newly built house can make the problem even more obvious. The building may provide protection immediately beside some walls while accelerating or redirecting wind around corners and through gaps.

Use Golden Tree Daisy on the wind-facing side

Where shelter is the objective, the most useful position for Golden Tree Daisy is generally between the prevailing wind and the area you want to protect.

That might mean planting it:

along an exposed boundary
above or below a hillside house
around an outdoor living area
along the edge of a rural garden
beside an exposed driveway
on the windward side of more vulnerable planting
around an elevated new-build section.

The important point is to think about where the wind is actually coming from, rather than simply planting around every boundary.

A well-positioned band of shelter can be much more useful than planting the same number of shrubs in places where they do little to interrupt the prevailing wind.

Creating a more sheltered garden behind Golden Tree Daisy

One of the most useful roles for Golden Tree Daisy is as the tough outer layer of a garden.

The Golden Tree Daisy takes the greatest exposure while plants behind it experience reduced wind.

This can make it possible to establish plants that would otherwise struggle in the same location.

The result does not need to look like a conventional shelterbelt. In a residential garden, several Golden Tree Daisy plants can form an informal screen along the exposed edge, with more ornamental native planting arranged behind them.

The transition can be gradual: tougher plants closest to the wind, followed by progressively more sheltered garden plants nearer the house or outdoor living area.

This type of layered planting can be particularly effective on difficult hillside properties where the objective is not necessarily to eliminate wind, but simply to make the garden more hospitable.

Shelter works best when some wind can pass through

It is tempting to assume that the best wind protection comes from creating a completely solid barrier.

In practice, useful garden shelter does not always require this.

A planting that allows some air to pass through can reduce wind speed rather than abruptly stopping it. Golden Tree Daisy's fine foliage and branching naturally lend themselves to this type of permeable shelter.

This is one reason a loose screen or natural windbreak can be very useful on exposed properties.

The objective is generally not to create an airtight wall of vegetation. It is to take energy out of the wind and create a calmer area on the sheltered side.

Golden Tree Daisy hedge, screen or natural windbreak?

Golden Tree Daisy can be managed in several different ways depending on the amount of space available and the purpose of the planting.

Lower hedge

Where space is limited, Golden Tree Daisy can be clipped and maintained as a relatively low hedge.

This suits urban gardens, driveways and boundaries where the plants need to remain within a defined area. More regular trimming produces denser, more controlled growth.

Read More - Golden Tree Daisy as a hedge

Informal screen

Allowing the plants to grow somewhat larger and trimming them less frequently creates a looser screen.

This retains more of the characteristic irregular growth of Shawia solandri while still keeping the planting within reasonable dimensions.

Natural windbreak

Where there is plenty of space, particularly on rural properties and larger sections, Golden Tree Daisy can be allowed to develop much more naturally.

The plants become wider, more irregular and individually distinctive. This type of planting generally looks quite different from a clipped residential hedge and is particularly appropriate where shelter rather than formal appearance is the priority.

Give larger shelter plants enough room

Spacing should reflect the size at which you intend to maintain the plants.

If Golden Tree Daisy is going to be kept relatively low and hedge-like, closer spacing helps the individual plants join together earlier.

If the objective is a taller, larger and more natural shelter planting, the shrubs can be spaced further apart and allowed to develop considerably more width.

Trying to grow large plants at very close hedge spacing can create unnecessary competition and may eventually require considerably more trimming.

The key is to decide what the finished planting is supposed to do before choosing the spacing.

For a simple single-row shelter, plant numbers can be estimated from the total length of the planting line and the chosen spacing.

At approximately 2 metre spacing, allow roughly 5 plants per 10 metres.

At approximately 2.5 metre spacing, allow roughly 4 plants per 10 metres.

At approximately 3 metre spacing, allow roughly 3–4 plants per 10 metres.

These figures are intended for natural shelter planting rather than clipped hedging.

Establishing Golden Tree Daisy on an exposed site

Even a very hardy plant benefits from good establishment.

Young plants have relatively small root systems and cannot immediately tolerate the same conditions as mature specimens. Wind increases moisture loss, making establishment particularly important on exposed sites.

Before planting, remove grass and weeds from around each planting position and prepare the soil where necessary.

Plant at the same depth the plant was growing in its pot, firm the soil around the root ball and water thoroughly.

A weed-free area around each plant is particularly valuable. Grass can compete strongly with young shrubs for both moisture and nutrients.

Mulch can help suppress weeds and reduce moisture loss, but keep it clear of the stems rather than piling it against the base of the plant.

Water during establishment when conditions require it, especially through prolonged dry or windy periods.

Should Golden Tree Daisy be staked?

Staking should not automatically be necessary for every plant.

Golden Tree Daisy naturally develops a branched shrub form rather than needing to be trained into a rigid upright tree.

On exceptionally exposed sites, temporary support may occasionally be useful while roots establish, but excessive staking can work against the natural character of the plant.

Where support is necessary, the objective should generally be to stabilise the root system while still allowing some natural movement, rather than tying the entire plant rigidly upright.

Don't expect every plant to grow into the same shape

This is particularly important with Golden Tree Daisy.

On an exposed site, individual plants may respond differently depending on slight changes in wind direction, neighbouring vegetation, slope, soil and local shelter.

One plant may become broader. Another may lean slightly away from the prevailing wind. Another may develop a denser protected side and a more open wind-facing side.

That variation can be desirable.

A row of mature Golden Tree Daisy used for shelter should not necessarily resemble identical shrubs copied repeatedly along a boundary. Allowing some variation creates a much more natural-looking planting and reflects how the species actually responds to exposure.

Trimming Golden Tree Daisy in windy gardens

How much trimming is appropriate depends on what you want from the planting.

For a formal or relatively low hedge, regular trimming encourages controlled, denser growth.

For an informal screen, occasional trimming can prevent plants becoming larger than required while retaining some of their natural form.

For a larger windbreak, much less trimming may be appropriate.

Avoid automatically trying to turn an exposed shelter planting into a perfectly straight green wall. Golden Tree Daisy's loose, layered and irregular branching is part of what makes it useful and visually appropriate on windy sites.

Where necessary, individual long shoots can be shortened and plants can be lightly shaped without removing all of their natural character.

Read More - A Guide to pruning NZ Native Shrubs

Golden Tree Daisy for windy Wellington gardens

Wellington provides an obvious example of the type of environment where Golden Tree Daisy can be useful.

Many residential properties are elevated, positioned on slopes or directly exposed to strong prevailing winds. Gardens can also be relatively small, meaning that very large shelter trees are not always practical.

Golden Tree Daisy provides the option of a shrub-scale windbreak or screen that can be managed according to the available space.

On a hillside property, it can be particularly useful on the exposed edge of the garden, leaving the more protected area closer to the house available for a wider range of planting.

Golden Tree Daisy for exposed subdivisions and new builds

New subdivisions can be surprisingly harsh environments for plants.

Existing vegetation has often been removed, houses are exposed to uninterrupted wind and newly formed soils may dry quickly. Fences and buildings can also funnel wind through particular parts of the property.

Establishing the structural shelter planting early can make later landscaping considerably easier.

Golden Tree Daisy can be planted along the most exposed side while the rest of the garden develops behind it.

As the shrubs increase in size, they begin to provide a more substantial vegetative buffer between the garden and the prevailing wind.

Golden Tree Daisy for rural and hill properties

On larger properties there is often room to let Golden Tree Daisy develop into a much more natural plant.

Instead of maintaining a narrow hedge, shrubs can be allowed to become broader and more irregular, creating an informal windbreak around a house, garden, driveway or other exposed area.

This is particularly useful where a conventional large shelterbelt would be excessive but some reduction in wind is still desirable.

The resulting planting can also sit naturally within a wider New Zealand rural landscape.

Wind exposure can actually shape the character of the planting

One of the interesting things about growing Golden Tree Daisy in genuinely exposed conditions is that the environment becomes visible in the plants.

Repeated wind can create a distinctive windswept form, with growth responding to the prevailing direction.

On a sheltered garden site you may see a fuller, more upright shrub. On a strongly exposed hillside the same species can develop a lower, broader or more directional habit.

For naturalistic landscaping, this can be an advantage.

Rather than fighting the location, Golden Tree Daisy can produce planting that looks as though it belongs on the site.

Windy does not necessarily mean coastal

Golden Tree Daisy is also an excellent coastal plant, and its tolerance of exposed seaside conditions is covered separately in our Golden Tree Daisy for Coastal Gardens guide.

However, wind exposure and coastal exposure are not the same problem.

A property can be kilometres from the sea and still experience severe wind.

Elevated subdivisions, inland hills, open farmland, ridgelines and exposed valleys can all produce difficult growing conditions without significant salt exposure.

For these sites, the important characteristic of Golden Tree Daisy is its ability to cope with persistent wind and exposure and to help create more protected growing conditions behind it.

Shawia solandri, Olearia solandri and Golden Tree Daisy

You may find this plant listed under more than one botanical name.

The current botanical name we predominantly use is Shawia solandri. Many New Zealand gardeners, nurseries and older references will know the same plant as Olearia solandri.

The common name Golden Tree Daisy remains a useful and straightforward way of referring to the plant.

If you have been searching for Olearia solandri for a windy garden, shelter planting or exposed site, you are looking at the same plant now referred to here as Shawia solandri.

A useful native for difficult exposed gardens

A windy property does not have to remain a garden where only the toughest plants survive.

The first step can be to establish plants capable of dealing with the exposed conditions themselves.

Golden Tree Daisy – Shawia solandri – can form that first line of protection. Its fine foliage, flexible branching, hardy character and naturally irregular form make it particularly useful on exposed sites, while its ability to form a hedge, informal screen or larger natural windbreak means it can be adapted to gardens of very different sizes.

Once established in the right position, the value of the planting extends beyond the Golden Tree Daisy itself.

By reducing the force of the prevailing wind, it can help create a more sheltered garden behind it – opening up opportunities for plants and outdoor spaces that would otherwise remain directly exposed.

Looking to plant Golden Tree Daisy on an exposed site?
Shop Golden Tree Daisy – Shawia solandri at Greenmachine.

Next article Designing Wind-Resilient NZ Native Gardens