This Genus has to be up there with the worlds best autumn colour and this form of Tupelo as they are commonly called (I hate it when common names are harder than botanical ones!) has to be one of the best. It was a seedling selected at Yamina Rare Plants at Monbulk many years ago …
We all know about the Maiden Hair tree, the Wollemi Pine of its time. Known only from fossils in coal and found throughout the world imagine the amazement when the real thing was found in China. What is often not known is that the Gingko is a conifer relative even though it hardly looks like …
God knows how one should pronounce the species name of this fabulous Japanese Crab Apple but don’t let that put you off buying one! It is an upright, even slender tree that would make it a good alternative to those hackneyed upright Pear trees that everyone and their dog seems to be planting! And it …
You will probably know this plant or find it in books as Sorbus domestica, the Sorb or Service berry but we all need to get used to the name changes unfortunately. What ever you call it however it is a wonderful ornamental deciduous tree which is edible to boot. It is reasonably upright in habit …
The japanese maples are looking splendid this spring, so fresh and vibrant and one of my many favourites is this one. Its rich burgundy foliage keeps its colour till autumn far better than almost any other that I have met and then it turns scarlet as the picture shows. It also gets masses of red …
If someone was to ask me for a list of my favourite trees this one would have to be close to the top of the list ! Why I hear you ask and the reasons as one would expect are multiple, from the elegant form of the tree , its attractive bark, its speed of …
This is supposed to be the rarest maple in the wild coming from a very small area in China and only collected and then raised in the west a couple of times so that all cultivated plants come from much the same original material. Apart from rarity why grow it? Certainly it has proved to …
When big is definitely better this Magnolia must be the record holder in lots of different ways. It can grow to 20metres tall with soft green paddle like leaves to 90cms. long and huge white flowers stained with purple and strongly scented. It can take some years to bloom but it is definitely worth it …
I love Liquidambars for all sorts of reasons. They are tough and have not only done remarkably well through the long years of drought but also came up with flying colours (quite literally!) after the very wet summer we had a couple of years back when Cherries and Smoke bushes drowned. They will colour in …
This stunning large tree from Japan and China is rarely seen or planted in Australia and I guess that it would be all but impossible to grow in most districts due to heat but anyone who lives in the cooler hill station parts of Australia should consider getting one (or several for a copse or …