The Boys
Pseudopanax ferox
Two young New Zealand toothed lancewoods. As juveniles they grow long, saw-edged leaves that hang like a skeleton; the adult tree comes much later.
Grown from cuttings of a huge plant in the nursery's own garden. See care records for the recovery history.
- Common name
- Toothed lancewood (x2)
- Section
- Pots & containers
- Spot
- Garden
- Soil
- Gritty compost (perlite mix)
- Options
Patio pot
Patio pot
A striking architectural pot plant, a statement piece for a sheltered corner.
- From
- A specialist nursery
- Age
- About 2 years
- Next repot
- Around May 2027
- Edible
- ❌ Not for eating.
- Hardy
- 🤔 Borderline: shelter from hard frosts
- Garden-centre price
- about £32
Did you know?
One theory is that the spiky juvenile leaves put off moa, the giant flightless birds that browsed New Zealand. The adult leaves only appear once it's taller than a moa could reach.
Care & updates
- Next root check
- Apr 2027
- What to expect
- Evergreen and very slow: the spiky juvenile leaves stay all year, and it can take a decade or more to grow into its adult form.
- Feeding
- Every 28 days, Apr–Aug, with Balanced liquid feed, half strength
- Repotted
Both recovering after being badly sun-scorched: the long, saw-toothed leaves are bleached and dry. Repotted out of the garden-centre mix, which was giving them root rot, into a gritty mix, and moved to the sheltered bed. Expected to take a long time to recover.
- Observation
Scratch test and close look at the tips. Both growing tips look dark, shrivelled and dry. Stem scratch on one showed greyish-green tissue (possibly still alive); on the other it looked brown. Decision: leave them undisturbed until next year, then decide whether they've made it.
🎮
A double act of brothers, just like this pair.
Look it up →