It is a shame that the Australian weed assessment people decided to ban almost the whole willow Genus instead of doing the assessments one at a time as many benign species are now banned. Was it expediency or worse “the more you ban the more important your job is seen to be!” One willow that has …
Alright I know my last post was about a Clerodendrum but I can’t help it I love them! This one can grow to a small tree and like so many others it does sucker so you can end up with a free copse! It is deciduous and will grow to about 4metres or so with …
This is one of the best small evergreen trees for the quality of its bark. Not only that but it is hardy in our climate, has attractive foliage, lovely pale pink flowers beloved by Honeyeaters, charming reddish fruit also bird attracting and will only grow to about 7metres or so. What more could you want. …
Oaks have for some years now proved their worth in our southern Australian climate. Almost without exception they have dealt with years of drought with aplomb, wet summers as well, have proven to be fire retardant and in most cases have virtually no weed potential so what more could you want? I hear many of …
The Kauri trees of the Southern Hemisphere aren’t usually the first things that come to mind when looking for interesting plants for the garden after all they are usually very tall growing trees. Although they are conifers their large leaves would suggest that they are something else. So why bother? Well many of the species …
The European Spindle berry, so called because its hard wood was used to make spindles for spinning wheels and it apparently was also used for rolling pins as well, how useful! It is however for its hardiness and ornamental values that I plant and recommend this small tree. It is a deciduous plant to 4metres …
Looking for a largish spreading shade tree that not everyone has planted? Well this could be the tree you are looking for. It comes from the Himalaya region and will eventually become a tree to 30metres although you and I aren’t going to see that! Its large palmate leaves are coppery tinged in the spring …
This quick growing medium tree to 15metres or so is a great shade tree or lawn specimen if you are looking for an in your face feature plant. It has huge yellow-green leaves that hold their colour well throughout the seasons from spring till autumn and in late spring and early summer it produces spikes …
There can’t be a more useful group of small deciduous trees than the Crabapples. They will happily grow in almost any soil (not water logged) in a very wide range of climates coping well with summer heat and drought as well as winter frosts and cold. Many can be grown as specimen trees or as …
There has been some dispute over the name of this small extremely hardy tree but there can be no dispute over its ornamental value! You may see it listed as C. stipulacea or C. pubescens or even a mixture of any of the afore mentioned. It can of course be called the Mexican Hawthorn and …