#feature tree

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The Iconic Illawarra Flame Tree: Brachychiton acerifolius

Wow it has been a dry, windy, horrible winter here on the east coast of NSW, in the last week the rain has finally reached us. However it seems to me that this is exactly the sort of weather the flame trees enjoy…so many of them are in full early bloom and what a show they put on when they decide to flower 😉

It was a 1970’s ‘theme’ to plant them with Grevillea robusta and the Jacaranda, so they could all flower together red, yellow and purple….very 70’s

I like them alone as a feature tree, where you really see their beautiful form, and when they drop their flowers they sit in a pool of scarlet.

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Luscious, Dense and Green: Xanthostemon chrysanthus

This showy small to medium tropical tree was flowering its head off on my recent trip to Brisbane and northern NSW. It was such a welcome sight after the damp, soggy Summer we have had, finally a species revelling in all the rain!

Xanthostemon chrysanthus

Xanthostemon chrysanthus is also known as ‘Golden Penda’ and comes in a large shrub form named ‘Expo Gold’ which gets to a height of around 4-5 metres high and a smaller shrub ‘Little Penda’ which grows from 2-4m high.

Xanthostemon chrysanthus

The right yellow flowers are attractive to all nectar feeding birds and insects and are followed by large fruits which are again eaten by parrots and fruit doves.

Golden Penda is a rainforest tree and in its natural habitat in northern Qld it can reach unto 40m high, however in an urban environment it will usually max out at around 8-10 metres. It can be pruned heavily and turned into a dense topiary or hedging plant and to generally promote flowering.

I spotted this tree everywhere in and around Brisbane, it is used as a shade and screening tree in residential gardens as seen above. A habitat tree in parklands and as a street tree all abut town.

Xanthostemon chrysanthus

Golden Penda enjoys a warm humid environment with a moist well drained soil, as it grows naturally in northern QLD it thrives in a rainforest environment. It can be grown as far south as Wollongong as long as it is protected from cold drying winds and given plenty of water during a dry period.

Xanthostemon chrysanthus

This is a wonderful feature tree and copes well with shade, as our seasons are becoming more moist and we are no longer getting the cool evenings which can usually be expected in the Autumn months, I think some of these tropical trees may become quite viable solutions for NSW gardens.

Xanthostemon chrysanthus

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As delicate as a rose: Archirhodomyrtus beckleri

This small feature tree really would fit in nicely in a garden full of roses, lavender and other English cottage style plants. The tiny flowers remind me of the blooms on climbing rose bushes and this pretty rainforest tree has the sweetest common name of ‘Rose Myrtle’.

Archirhodomyrtus beckleri flowers profusely with plenty of pale pink dainty flowers in Spring through to Summer and can often be heard before it is seen as it is a favourite among the bee population.

It has shiny green leaves and a slightly weeping habit so even when not in flower it makes an elegant small feature tree. IT will grow happily unfairly heavy shade to full sun but does prefer a moist protected position due to its rainforest status.

Archirhodomyrtus beckleri grows from around 3 metres high up to 5 or 6m with a width of 3 or 4 metres. If it is given enough space and favourable conditions it makes a lovely small shade tree with pretty mottled bark. It can also be used as a screening plant either stand alone or planted as a hedge and kept trimmed.

The flowers are followed by an edible small orange fruit which isn’t particularly tasty, although the birds love them. The leaves are scented as are the flowers, helping to attract plenty of pollinating insects.

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Softly softly: Eucalyptus ficifolia 'Fairy Floss' Grafted

These soft, gentle pink flower clusters belong to another grafted Eucalyptus (Corymbia) ficifolia dwarf grafted gum, this sweet small tree is called ‘Fairy Floss’, isn’t the name just perfect? This small feature tree flowers in the warm summer months between December and March like many of the ‘Summer’ series grafted gums.

It makes a wonderful replacement for the Crepe Myrtles that are currently in flower and seem to be taking over as street trees in my council.

This compact showy tree grows to around 6 metres high x 4 metres wide, and responds well to a prune after flowering to remove the spent flowers and ensure the tree doesn’t waste too much energy producing gum nuts. Of course the gum nuts themselves are highly decorative and you may wish to let them form fully before snipping them off for your collection. However by removing them you are ensuring the tree remains dense and full of leaf as opposed to dry and brown and sticky looking 😉

In the image above you can see how great the dwarf flowering gums look when turned to have a trunk and then underplanted, I love the look of the tightly clipped Callistemon below this ‘Fairy Floss’ specimen, giving the garden an almost formal look.