2020 Tree Guide

Metro Trees: 2020 Tree Guide

Copyright 2021 Metropolitan Tree Growers Pty Ltd There are two sections in this guide: active and archived. The trees in the active section are trees that are currently grown throughout the year in our nursery. In the archived section are trees that we have historically grown. This guide is updated periodically through the year, so there is a possibility our Silvan nursery has some archived trees. If you have any questions about anything, get in touch with us.

Phone: 03 9737 9188 Email: [email protected]

● Typical mature height: in cultivation to 10m ● Useful in: streetscapes, parks, reserves ● Sites for best growth: tolerates many sites well Acacia implexa is often mistaken for Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), as the foliage is similar, and on young trees, the bark is almost identical. Lightwood is a summer ﬂowering tree, while Blackwood is winter ﬂowering. In Victoria, Lightwood is found in many locations, including the basalt country to the north and west of Melbourne. In these sites, Lightwood grows to a maximum size of 8m, and is an upright, small tree.

Lightwood is grown in the urban environment because of its relatively small stature (especially when compared with Blackwood), strong wood, upright form when young, ability to grow on a wide variety of sites and excellent summer ﬂowering. Lightwood has few problems, but can be troublesome if the roots are disturbed; if this occurs, Lightwood will sucker profusely.

Acacia implexa will grow on many sites equally well. In nature, it is found on both very dry sites as well as on moist soils near streams. It seems that Lightwood will grow successfully in most any area, although best growth would be on the ideal horticultural soil—well drained, organic, and with fortnightly summer irrigation. Seemingly, Lightwood is adapted to more site conditions than Blackwood, and like Blackwood, will tolerate some shading.

Nursery notes: In producing Acacia implexa, we have noticed that these trees are slow in producing vigorous root systems in containers. If planted out before September, you may notice these trees are somewhat loose-rooted.

● Typical mature height: up to 8m ● Useful in: height-restricted areas, as screening ● Sites for best growth: moist-to-dry, well-drained A. littoralis is a native plant to the Melbourne region, growing in the eastern and southern suburban areas. This native range is quite broad, extending from the Merri Creek area south into Sandringham and other coastal regions. A. littoralis is named for its growth near the coast; this is both correct and mis-leading, as A. littoralis will grow very well both inland and in coastal zones.

Black Sheoak is easily recognised because of its very short brachlets, typically 20cm in length and divided into very short segments (this contrasts significantly with the other cultivated casuarinas, such as A. verticillata). These branchlets are very fine, bright green, and contrast strongly with the black bark. The tree’s growth is upright, and A. littoralis will grow no wider than 4m; as a young plant, it will be about 2m wide. The flowers are showy, typically dark red in spring.

A. littoralis will grow in any well-drained site, including those where summer irrigation is limited. Its growth is fastest where full sun is provided, and will respond well to irrigation during establishment. A. littoralis is relatively fast-growing for a small-statured tree, growing up to 800mm per year under ideal conditions. Black Sheoak should be more commonly planted as a street tree in Melbourne; it will give an informal, evergreen appearance to the streetscape, and should succeed where other, more-water-requiring selections will struggle.

● Typical mature height: variable 5m to 10m ● Useful in: height-restricted poor soils ● Sites for best growth: most sites appropriate

Allocasuarina verticillata is a round-headed, small-to-medium-sized tree that will grow in a variety of sites. It is well-known as a tree tolerant of sandy, dry soils, and coastal salt spray. Although known as a coastal plant, A. verticillata also grows successfully on the heavy, cracking clays near Bacchus Marsh. A. verticillata has been used extensively on diﬃcult sites both in Australia and abroad. It is extremely heat-tolerant, and will grow, once established, with minimal additional irrigation. Trees in excellent condition show long, pendulous branchlets of delicate, grey-green foliage with a horizontally-striped trunk. These slow-growing trees become rounded balls of ﬁne foliage with age (although coarser than other sheoaks), but as young trees they can appear very ungainly and sparse. In containers of whatever size, and until the tree is over 5m tall, A. verticillata looks poorly-grown, but this appearance will change with age.

Metropolitan Tree Growers will be growing high quality A. verticillata to accommodate the market for this desirable plant. Nursery notes: A very diﬃcult tree to grow in containers, frequently looking shabby if under 3m tall.

● Typical mature height: 20m ● Useful in: streetscapes, parks ● Sites for best growth: all with free drainage

Although not an apple at all, Angophora costata is an excellent tree for public horticulture. A. costata originates in semi-coastal locations of Queensland through NSW and is typically found north of Sydney. In Victoria, we can ﬁnd trees planted near 100 years ago, and still showing the fantastic bark and growth qualities that make this a favourite tree.

A. costata grows in Victoria on many soil types, but will not tolerate waterlogging. It thrives on most sites, including fully coastal sites that have a high sand content. There are few pest and disease problems that are obvious with A. costata, and the tree is easily-grown in most streetscapes.

In nurseries, A. costata can be difficult to grow. In Victoria, A. costata is notoriously difficult to germinate and grow on from seedling stage. A. costata is quite frost susceptible, and care should be taken with all trees planted in Victoria under 1m tall. Once the tree is taller than 1m, light frosts are not problematic, although A. costata is not recommended for Ballarat or the high country. Once in the landscape, A. costata will be trouble-free and give exceptional bark quality to any landscape. The bark is grey, flecked with dark red, especially in late winter. The tree grows quickly, and will form an arching canopy to 10m broad. The foliage is curved, and waxy, providing excellent contrast to the bark. The flowers are small, white, fragrant (although borne in masses) and the gumnuts are small and not problematic.

From both design and functional aspects, Angophora costata is an excellent tree for parks, gardens and broad streetscapes.

● Typical mature height: in cultivation to 15m ● Useful in: width-restricted areas ● Sites for best growth: most soils, both wet and sandy

Although much of B. integrifolia’s native range occurs along coastlines, this plant will also grow in moist soils, as long as waterlogging is not long-term. When driving from Sale to Bairnsdale, B. integrifolia is a noticeable upright plant in the low-lying, swampy areas on either side of the road. Seemingly, B. integrifolia will grow in most soils, although compacted and high-clay-fraction soils may not be suitable for reasonable growth. As a young plant, B. integrifolia is extremely upright, no wider than 1-2m while 6m tall. As it ages, it will open slightly, but even when the eventual height is reached, many B. integrifolia will be less than 3m wide. This makes Coast Banksia ideal for locations where width is restricted. B. integrifolia grows best in full sun; in shady locations, it will grow towards the brightest area, giving it a leaning appearance. This is not the showiest banksia, but the best for urban use. The foliage is extremely thick and leathery, dark green on the upper surface and bright silver below. The ﬂowers appear on 2-year-old growth and are up to 12cm long, and pale yellow. The seed heads are dark brown, and hold on the tree for many years (quite ornamental). B. integrifolia is an excellent upright tree that should be considered in many sites, especially where a narrow plant is required. It will grow well in any non-compacted, sandy soil, and will tolerate full coastal exposure well.

● Typical mature height: MTG provenances 5-8m ● Useful in: streetscapes, as display ● Sites for best growth: all well-drained, in full sun to semi-shade

Banksia marginata is one of the most variable banksias found in south-eastern Australia: variable in habitat, from coastal to upland forests; variable in size, from 1 to 10 metres; variable in ﬂowering, from elegant to stunted; and variable in geography, extending from central New South Wales through Victoria and Tasmania to central South Australia.

B. marginata does have some characteristics found throughout the species: it always has finely-toothed long foliage with a dark green upper surface and a silvery reverse; it is not tolerant of high-phosphorus soils or waterlogging; and it tends to be tolerant of dry soils. In most situations, it can form a dense shrub that will flourish in full sun to semi-shade with flowering from early spring through to autumn.

Our B. marginata are grown from seed, with local provenances used. At Metropolitan Tree Growers, we prune all Banksias to have a single dominant stem, so these plants are suitable for use as small street trees. B. marginata makes another ﬁne addition to the range of small, Australian plants that can be used in limited streetscapes as well as a display plant.

● Typical mature height: 5-15m ● Useful in: parks, carparks, nature strips ● Sites for best growth: high-low fertile soils, good drainage

The Kurrajong is described as a tree found in humid and semi arid areas in Australia. Trees tend to thrive in natural habitats located along seasonal watercourses where larger growth rates will be obtained.

The Kurrajong is particularly noted for an upright habit of growth and slightly swollen tapered trunk. This tree has distinctive glossy green foliage consisting of medium sized leaves. It may be evergreen or semi – evergreen. Flowers are creamy white with a rose colour inside or red – ﬂecked colour and are borne in Spring. A distinctive characteristic is also the presence of large clusters of woody seed pods often with gold coloured seeds exposed in summer. This tree is often planted as a street tree in coastal and inland areas tolerating hot arid conditions. Also planted as a shade and fodder plant for stock in areas subject to drought.

For those that live in the Hawthorn area of Melbourne, the rear of the Coles Car Park in Glenferrie Rd, can be seen some excellent plantings in pavement cut-outs. Specimens can also be seen in the Murrumbidgee area, in Canberra in Tasmania Circle, Edinburgh Gardens (Fitzroy) and the Treasury Gardens (Melbourne).

Reference: Spencer, R 1997 Horticultural ﬂora of south – eastern Australia. University of New South Wales Press. Vol.2,p.363.

● Typical mature height: 20m ● Useful in: mature streetscapes ● Sites for best growth: most, ample water best

Cinnamomum camphora has been widely used throughout the inner-eastern suburbs of Melbourne because of its evergreen habit, ability to tolerate many soil types, and restricted size in the streetscape. Camphor Laurel trees can become up to 20m tall, as seen at the Royal Botanic Gardens, but typically, they are 6-8m trees on nature strips. C. camphora originates in south-eastern Asia, and thrives in hot, moist conditions. In Melbourne, it grows relatively slowly and fruits little, whereas in Sydney it is a fast-growing, invasive weed species.

This tree is elegant for most of the year, although in Melbourne, it will become somewhat chlorotic in the colder weather. Its root system can be somewhat invasive, and probably should not be planted close to services or buildings. Many of the Camphor Laurels in Melbourne are 20 years + in age, and show good aging characters, although many have poor form resulting from poor early formative pruning.

Because of its usefulness as an in-ﬁll tree for existing streetscapes, MTG are producing well-pruned, vigorous Camphor Laurels for the Melbourne market.

● Typical mature height: up to 20m in Melbourne ● Useful in: avenues, parks ● Sites for best growth: most soil types, full sun

C. citriodora seems to grow on most sites in Melbourne. It is tolerant of dry, sandy sites, seems to tolerate moist, high-clay-fraction locations, and grows rapidly both with and without water. Occasionally it may be troubled by lerp, but is not badly aﬀected at any time. C. citriodora is intolerant of frost when young, and trees less than 1m tall can be badly aﬀected in northern and highland areas.

There are new selections of C. citriodora currently available, although performance with this tree may vary; this results from interbreeding between C. citriodora and the closely related C. maculata (Spotted Gum). Frequently trees with strongly-spotted trunks may grow in a seedling tray of C. citriodora, showing the obvious hybridisation between these two species. To assure best growth and true-to-type plants, Metropolitan Tree Growers are using seed from the CSIRO orchard, located in Castle Hill NSW.

Corymbia citriodora ‘Dwarf’ is a selected form of Lemon-scented Gum that has been grafted at Humphris Nurseries to allow the clonal expression of its desirable attributes. Grafted trees are typically smaller than seedling grown specimens. This Dwarf is expected to grow to around 7 m high in the Melbourne area. It will have the same environmental tolerances as the species but can be used in locations where space is more constrained.

● Typical mature height: to 20m in Melbourne ● Useful in: broad streets, avenues,, parks, reserves ● Sites for best growth: moist-to-dry, coastal sands

Corymbia maculata is another of the plants that is commonly seen in Melbourne. Its characteristic tall growth, spotted trunk and dark green foliage successfully integrate most architectural styles and blend well with almost all other plantings. Although not indigenous to the Melbourne area, it has been planted in Melbourne for such a long period, that it seems ‘native’.

Spotted Gum is a wider-spread species than C. citriodora, and the species overlap in their native ranges. C. maculata can be seen in the wild from Orbost in Victoria, all the way up to southern Queensland. It grows natively on sands to clay sands, but seems to tolerate the heavy clay soils of southern Victoria particularly well (seemingly somewhat better than C. citriodora). Spotted Gum will grow best in an exposed location, although it is not tolerant of severe frosts when a young tree under approximately 1.5m tall.

If grown in an area with humid, still air, C. maculata can suffer from fungal disfiguration of the leaves, but this Sooty Mold (Capnodium elongatum) usually is not a serious problem. Typically, this Mold results as a secondary pathogen from aphid feeding, and an exposed site will normally slow aphid feeding significantly.

Both the foliage and the trunks are beautiful with C. maculata, and make it an ideal choice where the space is available. Well-grown stock should grow quickly, and provide beautiful character within a few years after planting.

● Typical mature height: 15m+ ● Useful in: parks, reserves, broad avenues ● Sites for best growth: clay soils, available water

River Red Gum is amongst the most widely-distributed native trees in southern Australia. It lives in river gullies, along stream banks, and in ﬂood plains. With human intervention, you now will see E. camaldulensis in many well-drained sites, in the middle of paddocks and parks. Seemingly, if some water is available and grazing pressures are appropriate, E. camaldulensis will survive growing in these sites that are not ideal.

E. camaldulensis will grow to a broad-spreading tree at least 15 metres tall. Since it is so widespread, there are many diﬀerent forms and ecotypes available; some of these ecotypes will grow to 50 metres tall under ideal conditions. Most E. camaldulensis will grow with dramatically-striped bark patches, showing pale grey, charcoal and occasionally, pink patches. The foliage is relatively short and narrow, and the numerous buds and fruits are also quite small.

In urban horticulture, E. camaldulensis must be used carefully if the planting is to succeed. River Red Gum should not be planted in sites where drought and compaction are common, but instead will thrive in wet, occasionally waterlogged areas.

E. camaldulensis is most appropriately planted in parks and reserves, where the eventual size of the tree is an advantage, rather than a diﬃculty.

● Typical mature height: 4-30m ● Useful in: streetscapes, parks, most locations ● Sites for best growth: most sites, provenance-speciﬁc

To describe Yellow Gum as a single tree type is extremely difficult, as this species has so many different forms. It has a native range extending from southern NSW through Victoria into most of South Australia, including Kangaroo Island. Rodger Elliot, in his Encyclopedia of Australian plants, identifies these horticultural characteristics of E. leucoxylon:

Suited to most areas, except the tropics, long ﬂowering period, adapted to most soils, including alkaline soils, Drought and frost tolerant, Resistant to smog, moderately fast growing and excellent for shelter, shade and wind erosion control.

Poor branch attachment and short lifespan are possibly the only limitation to using E. leucoxylon in the landscape. To overcome these problems, speciﬁc provenance and seed selections are recommended.

E. leucoxylon ssp. connata: This is the Melbourne subspecies that can be seen in many areas of central and north Melbourne. It grows to an eventual height of approximately 12m by up to 10m broad. This eucalypt is very tolerant of heavy soils with a high clay fraction, and is also adaptable to soils with an alkaline pH. The ﬂowers are yellow, showy, but without the impact of the pink-ﬂowered forms. Authorities, including D. Beardsell, believe that the branch attachment is better on this subspecies than on some others.

E. leucoxylon ssp. megalocarpa: This large-fruited subspecies is the most commonly grown selection of Yellow Gum. It is typically pink-ﬂowered, and is similar to that sold as ‘Rosea’. Growing to a height of 7m, it is suitable for growing in height-restricted areas. Some arboriculturists worry about this tree breaking up after 15-20 years’ growth, but as it is fast-growing to its mature size, it does oﬀer 10+ years of good canopy in the streetscape.

● Typical mature height: to 20m,’ Little Spotty’ to 8m ● Useful in: streetscapes, parks ● Sites for best growth: dry, well-drained This subspecies of E. mannifera is smaller-growing than the species, and is noted for its excellent bark characters, tolerance of many site types and restricted canopy size. E. mannifera ssp. maculosa comes from central NSW to southern Victoria, but is native to areas east of Melbourne.

In the wild Red Spotted Gum grows on dry, upland soils where drainage is free, irrigation is occasional, and frosts are common. It is relatively fast growing, and will grow up to 500mm per year in nature. This tree usually forms a single trunk, and has a wide-spreading canopy. The trunks are white, chalky, and with reddish ﬂecks all the way up the stem; these trunks are amongst the most attractive of all found in eucalypts.

Red Spotted Gum has been used extensively in urban planting, and is highly successful in Canberra. Professor L. Pryor planted it there because of the striking bark character, narrow foliage and summer ﬂowering. He indicates that it has “…great value as a shade and decorative tree”, and indicates that it is excellent for parks and wide streets.

E. mannifera ‘Little Spotty’: Another fine, dwarf Austraflora selection. This plant will grow as a fine ball of foliage, either as a mallee or a single-stemmed tree. The eventual size of this tree should be about 8m, but can probably be kept safely under power-lines with occasional pruning. As the name indicates, the bark is strongly spotted and ornamental. This selection will grow in the same conditions as other E. mannifera.

E. mannifera ssp. maculosa should be considered for planting in Melbourne where soils are free-draining and where the site will accommodate a medium-sized, elegant tree.

● Typical mature height: to 20m ● Useful in: broad streets, parks ● Sites for best growth: acid pH, well-drained

E. melliodora is a widely-variable tree with a native range extending from southern Queensland to Victoria. It is indigenous to Melbourne and its suburbs. Some Yellow Box can be quite small, up to 10m, while other selections can grow to 30m. Typically, in cultivation, the tree is mid-sized, to 20m in height with a width of up to 8-10m.

Yellow Box grows best on soils that are acidic and well-drained. Authorities claim that Yellow Box will grow poorly if soils are alkaline, and these trees will struggle if waterlogged.

Although Yellow Box is too large for typical residential streets, it is ideal for major roads where an over - arching canopy is desired. The foliage is grey-green and elegant, and the flowers are very fragrant, white-to-cream, and flower in spring through summer. The bark is variable, fibrous to coarse, and usually fawn brown to dark brown. This bark is deciduous; in late summer the bark peels, revealing a smooth, white underbark. Some trees will retain this smooth-barked character.

● Typical mature height: to 20m ● Useful in: avenues, parks, broad streets ● Sites for best growth: moist, well-drained & gravelly

Red Box has been widely noted for its ability to withstand dry soils for many droughty summers. It is a eucalypt with an extremely wide native range, extending from the tablelands of NSW to southern Victoria. It is a tree that will tolerate most of Victoria’s diﬃcult sites as long as it has free drainage—in fact, it will grow well on very dry, stoney soils.

E. polyanthemos is known for its coin-shaped, blue juvenile leaves that are very waxy and stiﬀ. These leaves are not damaged by hot winds in the Australian summer and contrast well with the dark, reddish brown, furrowed bark. Red Box is often considered slow-growing, but if it is irrigated appropriately over the ﬁrst 2 years and planted into a well-drained organic site, it can grow as quickly as 1200mm per year.

In the nursery it can be diﬃcult to grow E. polyanthemos with a straight, tapered trunk. Metropolitan Tree Growers Pty Ltd. grow straight Red Box by staking, but the stake is removed early in the growing season so that the tree will develop the appropriate stem taper.

● Typical mature height: 30-40m ● Useful in: broad streetscapes, parks ● Sites for best growth: moisture retentive but well-drained soils; low frost

One of more than 800 different species of trees, shrubs and vines described as figs. Moreton Bay Fig is found endemically within Australia from Jervis Bay (NSW) to Cape York Peninsula (QLD), typically in high rainfall areas on sandy soils. Ficus macrophylla is a very large spreading tree featuring bright green glossy leaves, large buttresses extending down to wide spreading flanged roots when mature.

One of the more dominant trees within many Australian cities parks and avenues, planted extensively in the mid to late 1800’s. A massively broad canopied tree useful for dense shade and as a strong landscape form. The fruit can be messy and an attractor of the Grey Flying Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus).

We are seeing resurgence in its use most notably the Geelong Road entrance and major streets as well as plantings within Melbourne City Councils parklands. It has been seen to suﬀer in extended drought periods in Melbourne, even when mature and established. Excellent specimens can be seen in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens (1866 planting); Centennial Park Sydney; and the Exhibition Gardens, Carlton Vic.

● Typical mature height: to 15m ● Useful in: streetscapes, displays ● Sites for best growth: moisture retentive but well-drained

Over the last few years, this Queensland native has been planted in the thousands in south-eastern Australia. Because of the ease in production, and this plant’s ability to be sheared to shape, F. microcarpa has become an urban cliché. We can all remember when only Toorak had tightly-pruned ﬁg pom-poms, but now they are everywhere—frequently in places they don’t suit.

Hill’s Fig is a typical fig: smooth grey trunk, glossy green foliage, and a fine-textured, highly-meristematic root system. This meristematic root system allows Hill’s Fig to respond quickly to root changes in its environment; this means that root disturbance or root confinement may result in new roots growing out of the plant’s above-ground parts. Often figs are planted in rigid containers; if the root mass becomes too dense, the roots will break even the strongest container.

F. microcarpa is a survivor, tolerating many urban conditions, including shading, pollution, and root compaction. Because of this, Hill’s Fig is an appropriate selection where a unifying plant is needed that will take you from sunny to shady areas or from indoor to outdoor spaces.

There is one final problem with Hill’s Fig. This tree will grow very quickly in northern Australia and is shipped into Melbourne. If these imports are planted in protected areas in October and carefully established, they may thrive. If not, they will drop foliage, lose shoots, and possibly die. If you are going to use figs without this ideal timing and care, they must be hardened off in Melbourne for at least 6 weeks before planting out. Hardening off will allow lush growth to become lignified, and foliage to add water-saving cuticle. Hardening off is not difficult, but does take time and cost money. If you are going to use these figs in dark, indoor areas, a period of light acclimation is also required. This acclimation will add another 6 weeks minimum to your lead times, and will also increase cost. If a plant is correctly hardened off and light acclimated, it can be twice as expensive as its newly-imported-from-Queensland cousin. Copyright 2021 Metropolitan Tree Growers Pty Ltd Ficus platypoda Family: Moraceae | Common Name: Rock Fig

● Typical mature height: to 8m ● Useful in: streetscapes, displays ● Sites for best growth: moisture retentive but well-drained

Strangely, Rock Fig is a rare plant in Melbourne, even though it is more suited to Melbourne conditions than most of the others used. Rock Fig comes from the northern half of Australia, but it is not found only in tropical or subtropical forests. F. platypoda is known for its growth in rocky, dry, exposed areas, as far south as central Australia. In these areas, F. platypoda is exposed to hot dry summers and sub-zero temperatures in winter.

Rock Fig has excellent oval foliage that is thick and very heavily waxed. These leaves appear to be almost as waxy as found on Rubber Plant, F. elastica. Like other ﬁgs, Rock Fig has a ﬁnely-textured grey bark that looks and feels like elephant hide. The fruits on F. platypoda are tiny and hard; they are normally the size of a marble. These fruits hold on the tree for many months before falling, and are small enough not to be a nuisance.

F. platypoda can be pruned to formal shape, be allowed to grow to its natural form, or be carefully pruned to accentuate the excellent shape, fruit, bark and foliage. Because it normally grows to only 8 metres, it is unlikely that it will become too large for its site. Artistic pruning should be undertaken every few years for this emphasis of excellent attributes as discussed above.

Currently, there are few F. platypoda grown in Australia – many times fewer than the thousands of F. microcarpa available. Metropolitan Tree Growers will be sourcing good forms of Rock Fig and adding these to our list of plants available in a variety of sizes. These are very ﬁne, rare trees.

● Typical mature height: 13-15m in Melbourne ● Useful in: streetscapes, reserves and parks ● Sites for best growth: most sites appropriate

F. pennsylvanica is found throughout the eastern half of North America, and many

selections have been taken from the south-western part of this range. These plants are tolerant of very cold winters (to -25°C), hot summers (to 35°C) and very wet

springs. The species is also quite tolerant of compacted soils, and will grow well in river-bottom conditions.

‘Cimmzam’; this tree was selected in the US for its excellent branch structure. It grows to 13m tall, and is pyramidal when young, opening with age. It has dark green, shining foliage to 300mm long and the autumn foliage colour is exceptional—dark, rich red. Some say that this foliage will hold longer than others. An excellent functional tree for many sites.

‘Urbdell’: A rapidly-growing tree, probably to 15m, with strong branch attachment and little-to-no seed set. The tree is a proven performer in the US, and withstands that continent’s climatic extremes very well. The foliage of F. p. ‘Urbdell’ is large, lush ash foliage. It is pale grey-green from spring through early autumn, and when weather cools, it turns pale yellow to gold. It is easy to produce as a straight-leadered, strongly-branched tree that has smooth, pale-grey bark. Although not spectacular at any season, ‘Urbdell’ Ash is a handsome tree in the landscape.

Flemings Nurseries Pty Ltd has given a trademark to these tree cultivars —Cimmaron™ = ‘Cimmzam’ & Urbanite™ = ‘Urbdell’; but from any producer, they are the same; clonally-propagated F. pennsylvanica.

● Typical mature height: to 9m ● Useful in: streetscapes, height-restricted areas ● Sites for best growth: well-drained, all pH

Wilga is a tree that is highly sought after by many urban horticulturists because of its extremely ornamental character, tolerance to a wide range of soil and climate types, and its diminutive size, rarely reaching 9m in height and 8m broad. It has elegant, leathery, ovate foliage that is extremely dark green when grown in some shade. The ﬂowers are white and strongly-scented—similar to citrus, to which Wilga is related.

G. parviﬂora is indigenous to much of the east coast, extending from Queensland to the dry inland areas of Victoria. It is highly tolerant of soils where irrigation is limited, and will grow well on any well-drained soil, including alkaline soils. It grows well in full sun, although the foliage may be slightly yellow. Wilga will also thrive in some shade, probably that from tall eucalypts, and the foliage is very rich, dark green. In dense shade, Wilga will not grow well, and will not ﬂower at all.

Because of this diﬃculty in cutting propagation, few selections have been made, although in California there is a selected form at the former Saratoga Horticultural Foundation near San Francisco (called the Australian Willow).

Metropolitan Tree Growers are proud to have Wilga available, allowing Melbourne horticulturists to take advantage of this excellent street tree.

Nursery notes: A very slow-growing tree that will take up to 36 months to produce a 1.5-1.8m tree.

● Typical mature height: 15m (with extreme age) ● Useful in: streetscapes, park plantings ● Sites for best growth: clays, most sites

Maidenhair Tree is a beautiful, slow-growing tree that is tolerant of many urban

extremes. In North America, this tree has been used in highly compacted sites, and in areas where air pollution is extreme. It has performed well in these areas without any visible deleterious eﬀect.

In Victoria, Maidenhair Tree has been used extensively in park plantings, and also have been used occasionally as street trees in the City of Melbourne. These trees have proven their reputation of slow growth, and are maturing into relatively large, elegant trees. Seemingly, sites where water is freely available are better than dry sites for best growth. Some trees in Melbourne show signs of drought-induced die-back, but unless conditions are very harsh, Maidenhair Tree will survive and look lush.

The autumn foliage colour, leaf form and interesting habit make Maidenhair Tree a valuable street tree. When young (possibly for 15+ years) these trees are very upright, and with pruning, they can be maintained in a columnar form. Trees are of a single sex; the seed-producing trees are less appropriate for street trees as the fruit load can be quite heavy. Grafted pollen-producing trees are ideal for the landscape, and many of these trees also will maintain a fastigiate form for 50+ years.

G. biloba has slow root growth in containers and in the landscape. Because of this, typically 2 year trees are oﬀered for sale; landscape managers should be aware of this root growth and plan for 2 years of establishment irrigation.

● Typical mature height: variable, to 15m ● Useful in: streetscapes, avenues ● Sites for best growth: well-drained, some irrigation

Brush Box is one of the trees performing diﬀerently in southern urban centres than it does in its near-coastal native range of northern NSW and Queensland. In Melbourne Brush Box grows to a height near 15m, producing a round-headed, elegant tree with showy bark. Many streets in suburban Melbourne have Brush Box as a base planting. Maroondah Highway in Box Hill is a good example; here Brush Box is variable in height, but produces an excellent evergreen street planting. The trees are in scale with surrounding buildings, and are narrow enough to avoid interfering with power and tram lines.

Arboriculturists believe that Brush Box is not drought tolerant in Melbourne, but trees that have been well-established on sandy loam soils seem to have tolerated the last 5 dry summers very well without additional irrigation. Possibly, the lack of drought tolerance in some sites may result from restricted root volumes of L. confertus on heavy, high-clay-fraction soils. In these soils, the trees do not grow an extensive root system and may not be able to use water from a large volume of soil.

Currently there are no selections of L. confertus available, although research undertaken by G. Williams may pinpoint better horticultural selections. There is also the potential to cutting propagate upright and higher drought tolerant forms from the signiﬁcant trees from the Melbourne streetscape.

L. confertus forms a single-leader tree with little trouble in the nursery, and should form a strong, well-shaped tree in the landscape. If grown on loamy soils, and irrigated for 2 years post planting, L. confertus should be a trouble-free tree.

● Typical mature height: most often up to 10m ● Useful in: streetscapes, roundabouts ● Sites for best growth: all, occasional summer water is best

● Typical mature height: 20-45m ● Useful in: Accent planting; avenues ; clipped hedge or screen ● Sites for best growth: Coastal plantings, parks and roadsides. Optimal locations are where rainfall is greater than 750mm per year.

As the name suggests, this is a native to the Canary Islands making it highly suited to South-east Australia. It has a very distinguishable and strongly ﬁssured red bark, which provides a distinct visual contrast to its dark deep-green and soft textured foliage.

Has excellent use as a street tree, forming an attractive upright canopy. Its outstanding trunk can be used as successive columns for a strong visual eﬀect.

This tree will perform at its best on sandy loams with adequate summer moisture, but it will also tolerate poorer soils. Will grow well near the coast, good-sized road verges, and park landscapes.

Excellent specimens can be seen at the Waite Agricultural Institute (Urrbrae, SA); Princess St (Kew, Vic); Fitzroy Gardens (Melb, Vic) and Burnley Gardens (Richmond, Vic).

● Typical mature height: 10-20m ● Useful in: Large landscapes; road verges; backdrop screening and mass plantings ● Sites for best growth: Will grow well in sites of less than 250mm rainfall

A Mediterranean native most suited to South Eastern Australia. It will tolerate a wide range of landscape situations of poor drainage, excessive heat, high winds, some aerial salt and acid to alkaline soils. Often grows with an irregular habit or swept appearance. It has been reported to have naturalized in the dunes of Barwon Heads, Victoria as well as in South Australia and Queensland.

As a landscape or roadside specimen this tree is an excellent hardy provider of shade and windbreak. The sub species brutia is well known as the Lone Pine planted at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne as an ANZAC memorial tree.

Specimens can be seen at the entrance to Government House (Yarralumla, ACT); The Domain, adjacent Latrobe’s Cottage (Melbourne, Vic) and Wattle Park (Burwood, Vic).

● Typical mature height: 25m variable ● Useful in: Broad road verges, parks, near coastal planting. ● Sites for best growth: well-drained, slightly acidic soils

This native of Southern Europe has been long used in cultivation beyond 1500 years for its edible seeds. A famous forest exists near the Adriatic coast called Ravenna that covers an

area 26km by 1.5km wide. Dante described the forest as ‘la Davina foresta spessa e viva’ translating to ‘the divine forest, dense and green’ (Purgatorio, xxviii, line 2).

The majestic nature of this tree’s broad, almost mushroom like canopy, brings a distinctively diﬀerent form to many landscapes. The attractiveness of this pine is distinguished by its large clear-trunk and a strongly deﬁned umbrella shaped canopy and intense red bark at maturity. Creates a fantastic avenue, even when closely spaced and best used on broad sites.

Prefers well-drained and slightly acidic soils to establish well. Not suitable for alkaline soils. Strong aerial salt tolerance makes it suitable for maritime plantings.

Widely planted in the nineteenth century within South Eastern Australia and surprisingly little since, considering the trees visual and tolerance qualities. A very useful planting element within historic landscape recreations.

Good examples can be seen in Victoria Park (Kew Victoria); Scotch College (Adelaide) and Government House (Hobart).

● Typical mature height: 10m ● Useful in: streetscapes, parks ● Sites for best growth: well-drained sites, very versatile

Chinese pistachio has fans amongst almost all of the international writers concerned with street trees. This tree is relatively fast growing to 10m, is easily pruned to a height of 6m, will tolerate dry soils, and has exceptional foliage—especially in autumn.

Availability of Chinese Pistachio has been limited in south-eastern Australia because it is diﬃcult to

grow in nurseries. When young, it forms many leaders, and has a shrubby appearance. It is extremely diﬃcult to grow a whip with a single, central leader and a straight trunk. Once the canopy is developed, it will form an even, round-headed tree easily and will not be at all troublesome in the landscape.

P. chinensis is well-known for its extremely ﬁne foliage, pinnately-compound and rich green in summer; in autumn, it develops bright crimson colour and holds on the tree for many weeks. It is as

well-coloured as Rhus, but without the allergy problems.

This small tree will grow well in most landscape sites, but probably is not tolerant of waterlogging. In dry and compacted sites, P. chinensis is one of the best tree choices, as it establishes easily, and is tolerant of extremely dry soils.

In summary, P. chinensis is an ideal tree for nature strips, in paving and under power lines. It’s only fault is corrected in the nursery, and is a trouble-free, elegant landscape tree.

● Typical mature height: 5-9m ● Useful in: nature strips or hedging screen ● Sites for best growth: many site conditions suitable, non-water logged soils.

One of many species of Pittosporum growing as evergreen shrubs or small trees, this species is well suited for use in nature strip plantings and under power-lines. A native of the North Island of New Zealand growing particularly well in coastal areas or where there is protection from frost. This species is considered to be one of the more signiﬁcant scented plants in New Zealand.

This tree was commonly planted in the 1950’s through to the 1970’s in Melbourne and country towns, but far less common today. Characterised by new foliage that appears whitish in colour. The ﬂowers are highly fragrant and an attractive dark red. On ﬁrst examination it strongly resembles Metrosideros spp. in both foliage and habit but without the eventual size.

Can be weedy.

● Typical mature height: 11-14m ● Useful in: all landscape situations ● Sites for best growth: organic soils, irrigated

Callery pears (Pyrus calleryana) are excellent trees for all landscape uses, provided named cultivars are used. Plants sold as “P. ussuriensis” or “Manchurian Pear” have shown extremely poor form and have split or broken in the landscape. Some of the cultivars listed below are columnar, and are an excellent replacements for Ulmus glabra. Callery Pears require soils that will not be overly-droughted in summer after establishment. Many horticulturists are choosing to plant Callery Pears in areas where a 6m tall tree is required: note that all of these cultivars should grow to 11m tall in Melbourne.

‘Aristocrat’ A broad selection to 12m tall by 8m broad with excellent autumn foliage colour. Young trees appear open and asymmetric, but as the plant matures they become far more dense. Problematic heavy fruit set.

‘Capital’ A Callery Pear for streetscapes and small gardens. Narrow and columnar in habit with a strong central leader and upward-curving lateral branches. Grows to 11m tall by 4m broad at maturity. Heavily-ﬂowered in spring, with excellent glossy summer foliage, and burgundy to scarlet autumn foliage colour.

‘Cleveland Select’ Considered by North Americans to be the best cultivar of P. calleryana. Growing to 12m tall by 6m broad with a pyramidal crown, in North America ‘Cleveland Select’ has been signiﬁcantly more resistant to storm damage than ‘Bradford’. Grown in North America since 1965, it shows few, if any, faults when grown in sites that are not droughted for more than 3 to 4 weeks in the summer. It has shown excellent growth in compacted soils and where the root-run is restricted.

Reference:

Isles, J. 1991 Heirs Apparent. The American Nurseryman vol. 174 (5) pp. 59-65.

Kellow, J. & Will, J. 1995 What Pear is it?. Landscape Australia 4/1995 pp. 275-278

● Typical mature height: >20m ● Useful in: parks, very broad streets ● Sites for best growth: most

Q. canariensis is a variable tree coming from southern Europe and north Africa. Because it hybridises freely with Q. robur, most plants in Australia will be intermediate, showing slightly more Algerian Oak characters than English Oak characters.

In Melbourne, this tree is frequently evergreen, but as you travel to Mt Macedon, it is obvious that it can also be semi-deciduous to fully-deciduous. This character of evergreen-ness is a product both of minimum autumn night temperatures and amount of hybridisation with Q. robur.

Q. canariensis is a large-leaved, bold tree growing broader than tall. It is typified by arching, thick branches coming off a squat, strong trunk. The bark is deeply fissured, and dark greyish brown. In the landscape it resembles Q. robur, but is bolder in most parts than the English Oak.

Seemingly Q. canariensis is more tolerant of dry skeletal soils than its close relatives. It thrives in the Barossa and can also be found growing extremely well in the Mediterranean climate of Canberra. Australian authors note that Q. canariensis can be found in most soil types, and will grow well in a wide range of climates.

Using Q. canariensis in the landscape is limited only by its large size and relatively slow growth habit. If space permits, it can be a striking, long-lived plant for the urban landscape.

● Typical mature height: to 30m ● Useful in: parks, broad streets ● Sites for best growth: Seemingly anywhere

Turkey Oak is a small-leaved, round-headed oak that originates in

Asia minor and eastern Europe. From reading successful planting records, you can ﬁnd that Turkey Oak has grown well on a

number of sites with signiﬁcant climatic variability.

The tree has small foliage that is intermediate in shape between the well-recognised Q. robur and Q. palustris, having slightly

rounded lobes with mo

derately deep sinuses. These leaves are slightly hairy and have a moderate texture, slightly thicker than Q. palustris. Occasionally,

you will ﬁnd some infestation with Powdery Mildew, but it is not as heavy as Q. robur’s infestations. Unfortunately, Oak Blotch Miner can cause unattractive infestations in mid-summer.

Turkey Oak is relatively slow-growing but successful in a wide range of soils. It grows very well in Canberra, has performed well in St. Arnaud, and grows well in several Melbourne sites. It does not have the beautiful autumn colour of Q. rubra, instead it turns yellow-to-bronze before dropping. This is not the showiest or most magniﬁcent of the oaks, but instead may be the most reliable on a wide number of sites.

● Typical mature height: 20m ● Useful in: wide areas for the broad canopy ● Sites for best growth: most sites

English Oak is one of the most common park trees in south-eastern

Australia, noted for its vigorous, luxuriant growth. Q. robur grows very quickly to a tree of 20m tall by up to 20m broad, with a low-branching canopy. Its

trunk and secondary branches are very thick and solid and covered with deep-ﬁssured blackish-grey bark.

The foliage is small with rounded lobes—not bristle-toothed as is seen in

many other oaks. The autumn foliage colour is not exceptional, and frequently is a rich, dark brown. As the foliage is small, fallen leaves are not particularly diﬃcult to eliminate and will not clog drains.

If this species is too large or broad-spreading, possibly Q. robur ‘Fastigiata’ is a more suitable tree. This Upright English Oak may grow to 30m in time, but most typically grows to 15-20m tall by 6-8m broad. Like the species, it is strong-wooded, with small leaves. The autumn foliage colour is similar to the species.

Q. robur grows best in free-draining organic soils with fortnightly summer irrigation, but will tolerate many soil types. In ideal sites it will grow at least 1000mm per year, and will become a grand tree within two decades. On compacted sites, English Oak will grow more slowly, but will still develop into a majestic, strong-wooded tree.

Q. robur and its cultivars can suﬀer from Powdery Mildew, but this condition seems to be only slightly detrimental to the overall growth of these trees. Oak Blotch Miner can also be problematic, but nowhere as unattractive as with Q. cerris.

● Typical mature height: ● Useful in: parks, broad avenues ● Sites for best growth: moist soils, complete pH range

Bald Cypress comes from the mid-west areas of North America and is noted

for its upright growth in wet areas. The tree will tolerate long periods where the roots are in standing water, and will survive periods of two to three

weeks without irrigation.

This is one of the deciduous conifers that is suitable for use in many urban sites. The ﬁne-textured, soft, needle-like foliage emerges pale green in

spring, turns to rich bright green for summer, and becomes a glowing orange in late autumn before falling. As the foliage is very fine, it is easily swept-up and is not as hazardous as large-leafed deciduous trees. As with all conifers, there are no flowers; with Taxodium, the cones are insignificant.

When young, it has an erect habit, but will become spreading to approximately 6m when mature. It grows quickly, with up to 1000mm growth per season possible if irrigated weekly during dry periods.

Bald Cypress is trouble free in most landscape sites, although it can lose its leader during periods of drought. When this occurs, pruning a single leader and irrigating heavily will solve any growth problems.

Taxodium species have vigorous, mat-like root systems; we do not recommend planting in bitumen, as the roots will probably lift the paving. Successful planting of Bald Cypress will require 1m x 1m planting areas. Plantings of Taxodium in North America have indicated that this plant is tolerant of compacted-soil sites, as long as there is adequate irrigation.

● Typical mature height: 8m ● Useful in: streetscapes, under power-lines ● Sites for best growth: well drained but moist sites

Water Gum has been widely used in inner-Melbourne streets because of its relatively small size, elegant evergreen foliage, and graceful form. In addition, it has very ﬁne bark, usually a mix of mahogany exfoliating to cream.

In Melbourne, T. laurina will grow well on many compacted sites, as long as they have occasional summer irrigation; for establishment, we recommend weekly summer watering. In Prahran, T. laurina has been used very successfully, with only minimal pruning under power lines.

In the wild, T. laurina grows near stream banks, and under cover of other dominant trees. In the landscape, this allows T. laurina to be used with southerly exposures, and under the canopies of deciduous trees.

Because of its restricted size and evergreen habit, Water Gum is ideally suited as a large hedging or screening plant. It is also ideal for commercial planter boxes where a tree is required.

Currently, all Tristaniopsis grown as advanced trees are seedling stock. Metropolitan Tree Growers oﬀer three cultivars of Tristaniopsis; two cultivars of T. laurina and one of T. collina, the Mountain Watergum. These three selections were made by Michael Looker as part of his doctorate studies. These cutting-grown cultivars will be available: T. collina ‘Oliver’, originating in St Albans just north of Sydney: T. laurina ‘Isobel’, coming from the Thura River region of south-eastern Victoria, and T. laurina ‘Tonia’, a multi-clone cultivar originating from the Raymond Creek Falls in south-eastern Victoria. Both T. laurina selections are smaller-leaved than typical water gums purchased, which are normally from northern New South Wales or Queensland provenances. Dr Looker believes that smaller-leaved selections should be more drought tolerant in urban settings.

● Typical mature height: 13m ● Useful in: all areas ● Sites for best growth: fortnightly summer irrigation

Chinese Elm is one of the best street tree selections for south-eastern Australia

because of its eventual size, tolerance of urban sites and rapid growth. Some trees have exceptional bark that is a mottled orange-brown peeling in small patches. U. parvifolia is semi-deciduous and will lose its foliage in colder areas of Victoria such as Ballarat.

Although U. parvifolia is an excellent tree, the variability of seedling stock can be seen in many streetscapes. Seed-grown trees can be misshapen, and will not necessarily fulfill the role chosen for them. Trees budded onto understocks will give a more uniform tree, and can be managed more efficiently. Cutting-grown trees maintain clonal stability, but can be slow to establish because of a less-vigorous root system. Metropolitan Tree Growers grow budded Chinese Elms only. The typical selection we grow is budded from a tree in the Maroondah Reservoir Park. This tree has fairly upright growth, excellent form and remains fully evergreen in all but the coldest Victorian sites. It has slightly rough bark, but the bark will not become deeply fissured with age. This selection is a high-standard tree for streetscapes and shows the best attributes of this species.

U. parvifolia can develop more than 1 dominant leader when young, making it diﬃcult to manage in the streetscape. Purchase only trees with a single leader to prevent high maintenance costs later in the landscape.

‘Burnley Select’ An upright form selected by Dr Peter May as a seedling taken from a mature tree at Burnley College. This budded elm will should be a narrow-spreading tree with good, upright branch attachment. The original tree, now 20 years old in Kyneton Victoria, is about 12m tall and 6m broad. Unlike many other upright selections of U. parvifolia, this tree seems to have little included bark. The trunk is starting to gain a handsome, russet colour. Copyright 2021 Metropolitan Tree Growers Pty Ltd Ulmus ‘Sapporo Autumn Gold’ Family: Ulmaceae | Common Name: Sapporo Gold Elm

● Typical mature height: 15m ● Useful in: streetscapes, parks ● Sites for best growth: fortnightly irrigation ● ‘Sapporo Autumn Gold’ was selected by Dr E. Smalley in Japan in the late 1950s. It is probably a hybrid of U. japonica and another Asiatic elm, and was selected because of its complete resistance to Dutch Elm Disease.

‘Sapporo Autumn Gold’; is a medium-sized tree, growing to 15m, with annual growth up to 1000mm. When young, it is irregular in growth as with U. x hollandica, but with age it develops an oval canopy to 10m wide.

The foliage is intermediate in size between U. x hollandica and U. parvifolia, giving dense shade beneath. In autumn, it is bright gold, far richer than English Elm. The tree is fully deciduous, and the leaf litter is less problematic than with English Elm.

Apart from its resistance to Dutch Elm Disease (at present not in Australia), ‘Sapporo Autumn Gold’ was selected because of its superior form to other Asiatic elm species. Many of these Asiatic elms are very twiggy and weak-wooded; ‘Sapporo Autumn Gold’ tends to have much stronger wood and a less-twiggy canopy.

It will grow well in most sites, but thrives in areas where high-clay-fraction soils will hold reasonable amounts of water. It has a vigorous root system, and has proven itself planted in North American and British nature strips.

● Typical mature height: 4m in Melbourne ● Useful in: Parks, reserves, streetscapes ● Sites for best growth: Warm to hot, reasonable drainage

All three of these outstanding ornamental species are native to Western Australia (and South Australia in the case of H. francisiana). All have upright growth habits and long, narrow, silver-green leaves. All three species have spectacular ﬂower spikes up to 150 mm long.

In the wild these species all grow on well-drained soils but Metropolitan Tree Growers are growing trees grafted onto Hakea salicifolia to provide wider soil tolerances for the cool moist climates of south-eastern Australia. These species all have good tolerance of heat and drought. Grafted hakeas were ﬁrst grown in the Melbourne area during the native plant boom in the 1970s in a range of locations. An old planting at Darebin performed well for 30 years before being removed. Their relatively small size suits them for use under power lines.

Hakea francisiana (Narukalja): Leaves are typically 6 mm wide and ﬂowers are deep pink.

Hakea bucculenta (Red Pokers): Leaves are typically 6 mm wide and ﬂowers are bright orange-red.

Hakea coriacea (Pink Spike Hakea): Leaves are typically 6 mm wide and ﬂowers are cream and pink.

● Typical mature height: 8m ● Useful in: restricted space streetscapes ● Sites for best growth: all with free drainage

Angophora hispida is the smallest growing member of this genus. Like many plants growing between 6 and 10 metres, it can be trained either as a multi-stemmed shrub or as a single-trunked small tree. At Metropolitan Tree Growers, all of our A. hispida will be trained as small trees.

A. hispida grows in the Sydney sandstone area, in open woodlands. It tolerates a wide variety of soils, and will tolerate some coastal exposure. Like the other Angophoras, it will not tolerate frost until over 1.5m in height.

In the landscape, you can recognise A. hispida by its extremely hairy young stems and new foliage. The trunk is also notable: it has flaky, grey to grey-brown strips of bark that can be found throughout the tree. The flowers are borne in dense terminal clusters in summer, and these white-to-cream flowers are strongly bird-attracting.

Although widely used further north, A. hispida is only occasionally seen in the Melbourne environs. We consider that this tree would be another excellent choice for use under power-lines or where space is limited.

● Typical mature height: 6-9m ● Useful in: parks & display plantings ● Sites for best growth: well-drained, some irrigation

Arbutus are amongst the most ornamental small trees available to Australian horticulture. All Arbutus require reasonably well-drained soils, but unlike many members of the Ericaceae, Arbutus do not require strongly acidic soils.

A. canariensis and A. glandulosa both produce handsome, knobbly fruit that turns rich red. The fruits may present a weed problem, so it may be more appropriate to use the sterile Arbutus X andrachnoides in an ecologically-sensitive area.

Arbutus canariensis: Canary Islands Madrone. This tree has bold foliage to 15cm long, and large, somewhat-upright panicles of white bell-like ﬂowers throughout the year. The bark of this tree is also very showy, it is dark orange in most seasons, but with extreme heat and sun, it can become a mid-purple. Like gum trees, the trunk is smooth, and the bark is shed annually. At our Victoria Harbour site, we have found that is quite wind and heat tolerant, making it an ideal evergreen tree to use throughout Melbourne. With weekly-to-fortnightly summer irrigation, A. canariensis will grow up to 250mm per year. Beautiful specimens of this tree can be found in the Adelaide Botanical Gardens.

● Typical mature height: in Melbourne to 20m ● Useful in: streetscapes, avenues, mass plantings ● Sites for best growth: reasonably well-drained

River Sheoak has been widely planted in Melbourne, and many assume that it is indigenous to this general region; in fact, C. cunninghamiana originates north of Melbourne, and is most common in NSW and southern Queensland.

In Melbourne, C. cunninghamiana is a highly successful, tall, narrow evergreen tree that will grow on many various sites, as long as waterlogging is not constant. There are many established specimens in Melbourne that show that River Sheoak will survive on heavy clay soils (in areas such as Balwyn and Richmond) or sands (in the sandbelt of the southern suburbs). Typically it grows to between 15-20m tall, is up to 6m wide and forms a strong, buttressed trunk. The root systems of C. cunninghamiana are vigorous and matted, and it can be diﬃcult to grow turf or other plants under these trees.

River Sheoak will form a picturesque, shaggy tree within 10 years of planting, with the elegant, strongly pendulous branchlets to 15cm. It looks best when planted in groves, clumps or as a screening plant. It responds well to pruning, and can be coppiced each 5+ years to form a dense screen.

Although not indigenous to Melbourne C. cunninghamiana is a valuable tree for nature-like landscapes. It is highly successful either as a clump-growing display tree or as a screen.

● Typical mature height: 30m+ ● Useful in: streetscapes, avenues, foreshores ● Sites for best growth: well-drained, sands

Sea-side holidays in southern Australia almost always mean a beach lined with majestic Norfolk Island Pines. These trees, which do originate on Norfolk Island, are not endemic to the Australian mainland, but instead come only from Norfolk Island. A. heterophylla has thrived in Australia, and is extremely useful because of its wind tolerance and adaptation to extremely sandy soils.

Norfolk Island Pine is fully evergreen in Melbourne, and the individual needles usually last 2 years. Because these needles and branchlets do not synchronously drop, it is frequent to ﬁnd some needle/branch litter at all times. This litter is a minor issue only.

In Melbourne, we ﬁnd that A. heterophylla will tolerate both very sandy, and high clay fraction soils, provided that free drainage is provided. A. heterophylla has proven very useful in Melbourne because of its signiﬁcant wind tolerance and its ability to withstand fairly concentrated salt spray.

Norfolk Island Pine is a heritage planting, with many of the older park skylines showing the typical outline of this tree. Consider using A. heterophylla if you want the turn-of-the-century style with a tree that will be robust, handsome and long lived.

● Typical mature height: 5-12m in Melbourne ● Useful in: streetscapes, reserves and parks ● Sites for best growth: most sites appropriate

Allocasuarina torulosa was known as Casuarina stricta until the mid 1980s when a revision of this genus split to include Allocasuarina. A useful and decorative tree extensively planted in the 1970s and early 80s. Could be classed as a “retro” revival planting, although its good character makes it useful, whatever the fashion. Forest Oak is relatively upright growing, and this provides for a tree suitable for streetscapes and tighter planting locations. Planted en masse, this tree gives a solid screen of evergreen foliage, and is especially useful for blocking vision.

The aesthetic features of most appeal are the rusty to dark brown appearance at ﬂowering (March through June), and the corky and deeply ﬁssured bark. The half-yearly colour change gives the name “Rose”, and is a fantastic seasonal character.

A. torulosa is a low maintenance plant, except for some ﬁne leaf litter that may require periodic removal. This litter is insigniﬁcant, and the small cone-like fruits also present few problems.

Reference:

Elliot, R.. & Jones, D. 1986-Encylopaedia of Australian plants. Lothian Publishing Company, Melbourne Victoria (as Casuarina stricta)

Spencer, R. 1997 Horticultural ﬂora of south-eastern Australia. Volume 2. University of New South Wales Press.

● Typical mature height: 20m

● Useful in: Parks, reserves, streetscapes

● Sites for best growth: Well-drained soils, but generally widely adapted

Brachychiton rupestris is a Queensland native with good tolerance

of drought and heat. It has a neat, dense canopy of dark green, ﬁnely divided leaves. The swollen lower trunk that it develops

with age makes this an interesting specimen planting. Flowers are insigniﬁcant. This species has been successfully transplanted as an advanced specimen into a structural soil under paving in the forecourt of the Potter Childrens’ Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.

● Typical mature height: to 12m ● Useful in: streetscapes ● Sites for best growth: sandy, poor soils

Willow Myrtle is an Australian plant, originating on the sand plains of Western Australia , that has found a niche in south-eastern Australia . It grows into a round-headed tree with distinctive weeping branches, well-clothed in linear olive green leaves. In late spring, tiny 5-petalled, white ﬂowers emerge and cover the branches, appearing at the leaf axils. These ﬂowers are quite fragrant, and hold on the tree for up to 6 weeks. The bark of the tree is smooth when young, but becomes deeply furrowed and very dark brown with age.

Although A. ﬂexuosa originates on the heathlands and coastal dunes, it has proven itself tolerant of most soil types in Victoria , given free drainage. It grows best in full sun, growing up to 900mm each year when irrigated. In most soils, fortnightly irrigation will be adequate. Also, A. ﬂexuosa is tolerant of high pH soils, as it grows natively on limestone heath.

A. ﬂexuosa can be pruned with care to retain its ideal shape, and will be able to be grown under many power lines. Also, because of its many tolerances, it is ideal for all coastal and near-coastal sites.

● Typical mature height: to 6m (‘Harkness’) ● Useful in: streetscapes, reserves & parks ● Sites for best growth: many site conditions

Callistemon ‘Harkness’ is one of the well-known Bottlebrushes that has been an excellent street

tree for many years. Also known as ‘Gawler Hybrid’, this plant has proved valuable throughout Victoria and South Australia. The smaller-growing ‘King’s Park Special’ is also well-known for its

ability to grow in diﬃcult locations while forming a compact, showy plant.

As hybrids between C. citrinus and C. viminalis, ‘Harkness’ and ‘King’s Park Special’ show intermediate qualities of both. ‘Harkness’ is slightly weeping, has long, stiff, grey-green leaves, and has deeply-fissured, blackish-grey bark. The flowers are exceptional: crimson-red bottlebrushes to 200mm long, borne in late spring and early summer. These flowers can last for up to 6 weeks, and leave few-to-no fruits behind.

‘King’s Park Special’ grows to 4m, has more upright growth, and also has profuse red bottlebrush ﬂowers. This cultivar is ideal where the space is very limited on a narrow nature strip.

These cultivars will thrive in both the cooler areas of Victoria as well as the hot towns in the Mallee. Although they grow best with some summer irrigation, plantings throughout South Australia survive well with no additional irrigation post-establishment.

Callistemon ‘Harkness’ & ‘King’s Park Special’ also seem to grow well in a variety of soils, from sandy, skeletal soils, to heavy, clay-ﬁlled soils. They grow well on most nature strips, and will also grow reasonably well in planter boxes, or restricted planting areas cut out of bitumen.

As a tree growing only to 6m tall, Callistemon ‘Harkness’ is another valuable plant for restricted sites. This growth form, combined with excellent flowering and tolerance to difficult sites makes ‘Harkness’ a necessary plant for streetscapes. When even less planting space is available, ‘King’s Park Special’ is an excellent, red-flowering Bottlebrush.

● Typical mature height: 7m ● Useful in: height-restricted areas ● Sites for best growth: all with reasonable irrigation

C. salignus was grown for 10 years beginning in the 1970s and went out of

fashion in the mid-1980s. This fall from favour was based on poor form, speciﬁcally with trees lacking a central leader. Any problems with C. salignus form can be solved in the nursery with appropriate formative pruning.

Willow Bottlebrush will form an excellent small tree to 7m tall, and a width of under 5m. It is known for its excellent bright green foliage that is willow-like, hence the common name. The tree is further ornamented with bright pink new foliage growth and creamy-white bottlebrush ﬂowers. These ﬂowers typically appear in late spring and are up to 5cm in length. The trunks are also attractive, paper-barked, and typically a mix of cream and tan.

C. salignus will grow on most sites, including those where waterlogging is a problem. It will require monthly summer irrigation for best growth, although it tolerates no additional irrigation during summer. C. salignus forms a vigorous root system, and can lift bitumen if paved too-close to the trunk. With ideal conditions, C. salignus will grow up to 1200mm per year, and form an excellent weeping canopy within 5 years.

Callistemon salignus ‘Rubra’: This is the red-ﬂowered form that in all other ways is identical to other Willow Bottlebrush plants.

If properly-grown stock is purchased, Willow Bottlebrush is an excellent tree for streetscapes or large screens throughout Melbourne. Its fall from favour should be reversed.

● Typical mature height: 3.5 to 8m ● Useful in: all uses ● Sites for best growth: fortnightly summer irrigation Over the last 20 years, new Crepemyrtle selections have been introduced from the United States National Arboretum that have all of the excellent qualities of L. indica, and are also highly resistant to Powdery Mildew. These hybrids were bred by Dr. D. Egolf, and have proven themselves as excellent urban trees. Dr. Egolf bred L. indica with L. fauriei to develop disease-resistant trees that have excellent summer foliage colour, a complete range of Crepemyrtle flower colours and interesting bark colouration. Further, there are 3 sizes that were selected; semi-dwarf (to 3.5m), intermediates (to 6m) and tree-type plants (to 8m). All of these plants show ideal Crepemyrtle growth with summer flowering as well as fine autumn foliage colour.All Crepemyrtles can be easily managed in the urban landscape. They will grow on a wide variety of soils, although all grow best in well-drained, organic soils that receive fortnightly summer irrigation. It seems that Crepemyrtles thrive in clay soils, but will tolerate sandy loams extremely well.Although some of these cultivars will reach 8m eventual height, they can be pruned to keep to 5-6m by pruning each year or every 2 years. They can be pollarded for extra flower display.All of these cultivars are fully Powdery Mildew resistant!

‘Comanche’ A coral-pink ﬂowered cultivar that is the closest to a true red available in disease-resistant cultivars. Tall growing, to 5m, with peeling, tan bark. A very attractive, vigorous cultivar that will form well as an under-powerlines tree.

‘Natchez’ Probably the most popular hybrid from this breeding program, with large panicles of white ﬂowers in November through February. This is a tall-growing cultivar, easily reaching 8m, as can be seen in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens planting. ‘Natchez’ is relatively narrow, typically to 5m broad as a mature plant. The autumn foliage colour is orange to bright red, and the bark is an even cinnamon-brown. An excellent plant.

‘Tuscarora’ A dark coral pink selection that can be trained to a single leader. Again growing to 8m, this appears to be the fastest growing of the Crepemyrtle hybrids, growing up to 2000mm per year. Excellent glowing red-orange autumn foliage colour and elegant pale brown bark.

‘Yuma’A bi-coloured lavender ﬂower on a 5-7m tree; excellent for growing in many situations including streetscapes. The tree will normally become round-headed, and will also have excellent autumn foliage colour. The bark is pale grey, diﬀerent from many Lagerstroemia selections.

‘Zuni’ A semi-dwarf selection that should grow to 3.5m, making it an ideal plant for below verandah roofs or under power lines. ‘Zuni’ has lavender ﬂowers borne on long panicles in mid-summer. The autumn foliage colour is a glowing dark red, and the bark is pale taupe coloured. It should not grow any wider than 3m, and can be kept to approximately Copyright2m broad 2021 withMetropolitan pruning. Tree This Growers plant is Ptyideal Ltd for many locations where height is restricted. Magnolia grandiﬂora cvs. Family: Magnoliaceae | Common Name: Evergreen Magnolia

● Typical mature height: 5-10m ● Useful in: street tree parks ● Sites for best growth: water retentive soils; heat

The evergreen Magnolia is considered with its deciduous relatives as one of the most magnificent of flowering trees. Originally introduced from the United States to England in the early 18th Century. The name Magnolia was coined in recognition of Pierre Magnolia the French Botanist (1638-1715). Magnolias are considered to be an ancient flowering plant bearing the largest individual flowers of any tree or shrub that can be cultivated in temperate climates. One of the only broad leaved evergreen trees that can be cultivated in a wide range of climatic conditions. M. grandiflora and its cultivars all require organic, well-drained soils with summer irrigation for success. Once established in reasonably good soils, this irrigation can be reduced to monthly deep irrigation, but in all but the best sites, weekly irrigation is required. Bull Bay Magnolia and all of the other evergreen magnolias require protection from hot winds, especially dry, northerly winds. These magnolias grow best with an easterly exposure and northerly protection. Magnolias have very coarse root systems, and once planted out of the container, they should have as little root disturbance as possible.

‘Little Gem’: Magnolia ‘Little Gem’ has come a long way from its seedling origins in Candor North Carolina in the US. This tree was raised from local seed and showed very early promise. After 16 years, the original seedling was 4.5 metres tall, and about 1.4 metres in diameter. This compact size is accompanied by an abundance of creamy white flowers and elegant foliage: ‘Little Gem’ was considered a success. Over the last 10 years, the success of ‘Little Gem’ has proven itself successful in Australia. This magnolia is highly sought after for its excellent compact growth, its glossy dark green foliage and its great flowers. The flowers aren’t quite as large as on full-size M. grandiflora, but they are produced in abundance and are long lasting. Most flowers will emerge in summer, but whenever the day temperature stays above 20°C for more than a few days, flowers will start forming.

‘St. Mary’: This is the first clone of Magnolia grandiflora selected and named within the U.S.A. by W.B. Clarke Nursery of San Jose, California. ‘Saint Mary’ originated from a seedling purchased originally by the Glen Saint Mary Nursery , Florida around 1905. Described as a bushy compact form, growing to an eventual height of 6m. This clone has a quicker growth rate to that of ‘Little Gem’. Features creamy white solitary flowers and bright green glossy leaves with wavy margins. Leaves are not as hairy on the underside as in the larger forms of the species.

‘Exmouth’: A more upright habit in form than many other Magnolia grandiﬂora, this is a very old selection raised in Exmouth UK by Sir John Colliton in the early 18th century. Has been popular in gardens and nurseries for more than two hundred years. This form features a particularly upright habit and particularly vigorous growth to a height of 8 –10m. Proven to be very useful in many street and other landscape situations. Features long narrow leaves tending to curve along the edges. Should ﬂower over a long period through summer to late autumn. Copyright 2021 Metropolitan Tree Growers Pty Ltd Olea europaea cvs. Family: Oleaceae | Common Name: Olive

● Typical mature height: 7m ● Useful in: streetscapes, reserves & parks ● Sites for best growth: tolerate most site conditions

Metropolitan Tree Growers are proud to grow 1 form of olive which is sterile,

and another which is upright and low fruiting. We have chosen to grow these forms because they reduce the required maintenance of fruit removal as well

as keeping the trees in better physical condition (we are aware that when homeowners harvest fruit from olives, they can damage the trees by shaking/bashing them). Olives are ideal trees for the urban environment, as they are of small stature, long lived, are easily pruned, and can grow well in most sites. They are evergreen trees with elegant ‘olive green’ foliage that is sparse enough to allow some winter light through. The bark is handsome, pale grey until the trees are very old, and the wood is strong and durable. Olives will tolerate many sites, seemingly all that are not strongly compacted or waterlogged. In dry soils, olives will grow slowly, but orchard experience has shown that with adequate irrigation in organic soils, olives can grow up to 400mm per year. We are growing these selections:

‘Swan Hill’: This olive was discovered in an orchard near Swan Hill Victoria, where it was a 20 year old tree that had not fruited. Cuttings from this tree were sent to the University of California, where its fruitless nature was conﬁrmed. Later, Dr H. Hartmann discovered that it produced little-to-no pollen as well. The tree grows equally as wide-as-tall unless pruned, and can be grown easily as a single-trunked tree.

‘Tolley’s Upright’: We have sourced cuttings of this olive from Ian Tolley, a noted citrus authority in Renmark South Australia. He has grown this tree for over 10 years as a clipped hedge that is approximately 4 metres tall by 1.4m at the broadest. It does produce some edible fruit. As an unpruned tree, it should grow to 6-7m tall by 2-3m broad with good, strong branch attachment. The foliage on ‘Tolley’s Upright’ seems to be a paler, more silvery-green than many other olive selections. An excellent plant! Copyright 2021 Metropolitan Tree Growers Pty Ltd Quercus ilex Family: Fagaceae | Common Name: Holm Oak

● Typical mature height: 20m in Melbourne ● Useful in: reserves, parks & broad nature strips ● Sites for best growth: most sites appropriate Quercus ilex is a tree that has been used in landscapes for many 1000s of years. Although it probably originates in the eastern Mediterranean, because of the religious signiﬁcance of this tree, it spread throughout Europe before Roman settlement. Currently, there are major plantings of Holly Oak in southern Europe, where avenues, screens and specimen plantings all thrive.

In south-eastern Australia, Q. ilex has been used in older park plantings from 1900 onwards. It forms a round-headed, elegant tree with glossy evergreen foliage. The common name, ‘Holly Oak’, refers to the bristle-tipped leaves that are the size and shape of European Holly. Paired with the tree’s very dark-grey bark, the impact is very strong and sombre.

Q. ilex will tolerate many climatic and soil extremes in south-eastern Australia. In many Melbourne and Adelaide parks, it grows well, although slowly, with little-to-no summer irrigation once established. There are reports of Holly Oak becoming weedy in the moist, ideal sites found on the south

coast of New South Wales, but for most of Australia, the small acorns are infrequent, and don’t seem to germinate readily.

There are only 2 limitations to using Q. ilex in the landscape, its

extremely slow growth rate, and its eventual large size. As a hedged specimen or as a park tree it can be a signiﬁcant part of many landscapes.

● Typical mature height: 20m ● Useful in: streetscapes, avenues, parks ● Sites for best growth: clay soils, moist sites

Pin Oaks have been used in many Melbourne suburbs, forming much of the

‘backbone’ of deciduous planting. There are two signiﬁcant problems with Pin Oaks: when young, they hold their foliage during winter. Many have poor form,

with co-dominant leaders.

Metropolitan Tree Growers are now growing a form of Pin Oak that defoliates each winter, even on young trees. This clears-up the untidy appearance of

young trees in the streetscape. This ‘early defoliant form’ also has excellent structure, without the major problem of co-dominant leaders.

Streetscapes where Pin Oaks have been successfully grown are among

Melbourne’s most beautiful. The straight, tapered trunks give a sense of scale, and the evenly-branched, ﬁne canopy gives the shade desired. To achieve a

streetscape of this quality, the trees must be planted without power line obstruction, they must be a budded form that will not bifurcate, they should be planted at 12 to 15m spacing, and they should be irrigated fortnightly during the dry summer months.

Pin Oak can be an excellent tree for areas where soils may have a high clay fraction, where pH is below 6.0 and where sites may become wet for extended periods during winter. These are the easiest of the oaks to transplant, and they will establish quickly in the landscape. Because of their rapidly-growing root systems, we do not recommend planting Pin Oaks in restricted areas or under bitumen.

Quercus palustris ‘Pringreen’ is an upright selection of Pin Oak introduced into Australia by Fleming’s Nurseries. It will typically grow 15 m tall and 4 m wide and will have the same general environmental tolerances as the species Copyright 2021 Metropolitan Tree Growers Pty Ltd Quercus rubra Family: Fagaceae | Common Name: Red Oak

● Typical mature height: 20m

● Useful in: avenues, parks, broad streets

● Sites for best growth: tolerates most, ample water best

Quercus rubra seems to be one of the best oaks for Australian streetscapes. It is rapidly-growing when water is freely available,

and authorities claim that it always has a ‘clean’ appearance in the landscape.

Red Oak is broad-crowned, even when young, and is suitable

only for areas where crown growth will not be restricted. Red Oak has been used widely as a street tree, and thrives in most

conditions. In both Sydney and Melbourne, Q. rubra grows well in most soils, and will grow extremely quickly if given fortnightly summer irrigation.

Although the North American literature claims brilliant autumn colour for Q. rubra, in Australia the autumn display is muted, with the foliage taking on dark mahogany brown to maroon shades. Not spectacular, but instead quietly elegant.

In summary, it seems that Red Oak is a highly successful street and park tree wherever there is adequate space for its broad-spreading crown.

● Typical mature height: 20m in Melbourne

● Useful in: reserves & parks

● Sites for best growth: most sites appropriate

Quercus suber is best known for its bark and the product we make from it—cork. This tree should also be known for its ﬁne landscape qualities, and permanence in the landscape. Originating in southern Europe, Q. suber has been planted both for its cork and as a landscape plant for many 100s of years.

In the Australian landscape, Cork Oak is a broad, spreading tree with an open canopy and thick, corky bark. Older trees become very picturesque and elegant, with the grey-green, evergreen

foliage contrasting well with the deeply-ﬁssured, grey-to-tan bark. Like Q. ilex, the acorns are infrequently produced, and do

not cause a litter or weed problem.

Again, like Q. ilex, Cork Oak is a slow-growing, long-lived tree. As it grows less than 400mm per year in the landscape, we

recommend that trees of 1600mm+ are planted to give some landscape impact. Q. suber is not as easily hedged as Holly Oak

because of its coarse branching, and should be considered as a park tree where broad canopy spread is advantageous.

Although Q. suber will grow reasonably well with no additional

summer irrigation post establishment, this tree will grow best with fortnightly, deep irrigation. Q. suber survives on most soil types, but is somewhat intolerant of compaction.

● Typical mature height: 12m ● Useful in: Parks, reserves, streetscapes ● Sites for best growth: Best in well-drained sites but widely adapted

Schinus ariera is a native of western Peru. Planted widely through Victoria in the past it is a tough, drought- tolerant survivor. The broad canopy of finely-divided bright green leaves keeps looking good even under very hot and conditions. The insignificant pale yellow flowers are followed by clusters of pink berries that give the tree its name. The tree grows in much of the state but does not succeed in areas with severe winter frosts. It has some tendency to self-seed and planting sites should be selected with care for that reason.

● Typical mature height: 15-20m ● Useful in: screening & parks ● Sites for best growth: moist, protected from wind

Waterhousea ﬂoribunda is one of the many trees now making its home in Melbourne from northern Australia. This tree is native to northern, coastal New South Wales and extends north into Queensland. It has been used in Melbourne since the early 1900s, but is becoming more popular because of its relatively quick growth, lush foliage, and screening potential.

Like the other lillypillies, Weeping Lillypilly has lustrous, dark green, evergreen foliage. If not pruned, this foliage can extend to the base of the tree, and if clipped, can become very dense. As a screen, Weeping Lillypilly can be kept to a height of 4-5m, with a spread of 2-3m. As it grows quite quickly, formal hedges will need to be tended at least twice a year.

As a park tree, W. ﬂoribunda will grow into a round-headed tree typically to 15 metres tall, and frequently as-broad-as-tall. Its ﬂowers are small, white and fragrant, but unlike many other lillypillies, the fruits are white and shed quickly. Fruit dropping on pavements does not seem to be as problematic as with Acmena smithii.

Coming from northern Australian rainforests, W. ﬂoribunda is not strongly drought tolerant, and requires evenly-moist soils for best growth. Its evergreen foliage can be damaged by strong, drying winds, and it should be sited away from strongly windy sites. It will grow well in light shade, with 30% of the light excluded.

There are many forms and selections of Weeping Lillypilly, but few are available commercially. Metropolitan Tree Growers are working to ﬁnd the best form with some frost tolerance for Melbourne growing.

● Typical mature height: in cultivation to 20m ● Useful in: broad streetscapes, parks, reserves ● Sites for best growth: moist, well-drained

Over the last 10 years, many public plantings of E. scoparia have been developed. Horticulturists have developed these plantings because of the relatively fast growth of E. scoparia, its somewhat small size at maturity, its broad spreading crown, and it’s extremely attractive white bark. In some areas, these plantings have not been highly-regarded, mainly because E. scoparia has been broader and more open-crowned than those selecting the trees required. E. scoparia is not a ‘replacement’ for exotics or very small Australian trees such as E. leucoxylon ssp. megalocarpa; instead it is a mid-sized tree that can be best used on broad streets, in avenues or in parks.

E. scoparia originates on very dry, gravelly soils along the border between Queensland and NSW. It is highly tolerant of dry, hot conditions, and will tolerate most urban compaction well. The foliage is lush, but the shade is not dense as the crown is quite spreading. In Melbourne, this White Gum will tolerate most conditions, although there are no data to support its tolerance to waterlogging.

E. scoparia is somewhat troubled by lerps in Melbourne, although not as much as E. botryoides. It can also be infested lightly with Scale insects and Sooty Mold. On mature trees, this lerp damage is not noticeable; on young trees, the blistered leaves can be removed manually.

If used correctly, E. scoparia can be an excellent tree, and may be used as a considered replacement when E. viminalis is too large for the site.

● Typical mature height: variable to 20m

● Useful in: broad streetscapes, parks

● Sites for best growth: all reasonably well-drained

Red Ironbark is a highly valuable tree because of its adaptation to many sites, strong wood and ability to grow well in smog. This tree has been cultivated as well outside of Australia, in countries that include the US, Brazil and many Mediterranean areas. It originates in Queensland, grows through NSW and into the north-eastern areas of Victoria. The only indigenous Ironbark in Melbourne is the closely-related E. tricarpa.

‘Rosea’ Red Ironbark is a seed selection that is red ﬂowering. In all other attributes, it is identical to the species, but typically will grow slightly smaller—to 20m, rather than the possibility of a 30m tall tree. The growth is normally upright on juvenile trees, but trees begin spreading with age and can become 15m wide. The bark of this tree gives it its common name; Red Ironbarks have deeply ﬁssured plate-like bark that is a rusty red beneath and black on the surface. This bark contrasts well with the foliage, which is dark green to grey-blue.

‘Rosea’ Red Ironbark will grow successfully on many sites, including those alkaline areas. For best growth, a well-drained site in full sun should be selected. Establishment is rapid with good quality planting stock, and Red Ironbark should be fully established after 2 years. Trees will grow up to 1200mm per year given ideal conditions.

Bifurcation, or co-dominant leaders, can be problematic with Ironbarks. It is essential that this tree be purchased as a single-leader specimen with good formative canopy development.

● Typical mature height: 20m+ ● Useful in: parks, reserves ● Sites for best growth: well-drained to dry soils

Eucalyptus tricarpa is one of the ironbarks that is closely allied to E. sideroxylon. This species has been split oﬀ from the larger species in that it has larger fruits, and typically occurs in near-coastal areas. It does not have the showy red ﬂowers of E. sideroxylon ‘Rosea’.

E. tricarpa is indigenous to the Melbourne area, with large stands found in Gippsland, Eltham and Anglesea. It is noted for its large size, very rough reddish-brown bark and massive secondary branches. Frequently these trees are found with co-dominant leaders, making them unsuitable for streetscapes, where single leaders are essential. Arborists also consider that E. tricarpa frequently sheds limbs under stress.

E. tricarpa will grow well in areas where skeletal or gravelly soils are found. It will grow relatively well with minimal summer irrigation once established. Because of its large size and form, this tree should be considered for reserves and parks where irrigation is restricted.

● Typical mature height: most to 20m ● Useful in: broad streets, parks ● Sites for best growth: tolerates most soils, conditions

E. radiata is very popular with urban horticulturists because of its compact crown, dense canopy and excellent form. It is proving itself to be an improved Peppermint for urban use; signiﬁcantly better in streetscapes than E. nicholii. In Canberra, many avenues have been re-planted, and where eucalypts are appropriate, E. radiata has been the choice.

As a Peppermint, E. radiata has aromatic lanceolate leaves, a straight, rough-barked trunk, and semi-pendulous branches. The canopy is quite densely-branched, giving lush shade and a very definite form. The flowers appear in late spring and continue through until December or early January. These flowers are small and white, very profusely-borne.

E. radiata has an extended native range, growing from the tablelands of NSW into southern Victoria. The tree will grow on a wide variety of sites, both moist soils high in organic matter and poor, skeletal soils. It certainly will grow in most urban situations, although speciﬁc information regarding growth in highly-compacted sites is unknown.

● Typical mature height: in cultivation to 20m ● Useful in: broad streetscapes, parks, reserves ● Sites for best growth: moist, well-drained

Blackwood has an extensive native range, extending throughout southern Victoria into Tasmania. Blackwood is also found on the basalt plains north of Melbourne where it is found in mixed populations with A. implexa, Lightwood. In these northern habitats, Blackwood does not reach the same very tall size found in the Otways, Tasmania and along the south-east coast of Victoria, often reaching only 10-12m tall. In cultivation, most Blackwoods will grow to only 12-15m, although if the site is ideal, they may reach 20m. Blackwoods are strong-wooded trees, and do not shed limbs as frequently as other wattles or some eucalypts. They are long-lived, often living over 100 years.

Blackwoods are known for their long life, low suckering habit, elegant dark grey-green foliage, and abundant winter flowers. The flowers appear in late winter, and are multi-branched inflorescences of pale yellow balls. The fragrance is sweet. The bark of Blackwoods is dark brown, deeply furrowed, and not typical of many wattles. Siting of Blackwoods requires soils that have either extremely free drainage or an abundance of organic matter and moisture. These trees probably will not succeed on many dry compacted sites, and if grown in streetscapes, will require an extensive root run. Blackwoods are not suited for narrow nature strips or under power lines (or verandahs).

A. melanoxylon is an excellent indigenous plant for Melbourne if grown in adequately-large areas where both roots and canopy can grow to full potential.

● Typical mature height: variable, to 15m ● Useful in: streetscapes, avenues, screening ● Sites for best growth: moisture-retentive, irrigated

Lilly Pilly is one of the best-known Australian rainforest plants used in south-eastern Australia. This plant has been used as a single tree or as a hedge since the early 1900s. It has been in continuous use because of this tree’s great adaptability to Melbourne soils, especially sandy or clay loams. Unlike many other Australian evergreens, it thrives in the clay soils in the east and north-east of Melbourne.

Originating in warm-temperate forests from the Northern Territory south to the far-eastern tip of Victoria, Lilly-pilly requires relatively moist soils for rapid growth and healthy appearance over summer. These required irrigation levels decrease as soon as the plant is well-established, but Lilly-pilly will never be a suitable tree for droughted situations or on poor, skeletal soils.

A. smithii will have fragrant white ﬂowers in late spring, and these ﬂowers are followed by fruits—in most Lilly Pillies these are a deep purple. The fruits will normally fall in late autumn if not eaten by birds, but clean up is reasonably quick and simple.

If left to grow without pruning, A. smithii will grow to be an upright-oval tree, maintaining its lower branches. When hedged, Lilly-pilly will be a dense hedge that can be maintained to 4m tall by 2-3m broad. With time, it can grow to be an elegant 5-6m hedge.

Along with the many Syzygium and Waterhousea selections now available, A. smithii is an excellent evergreen tree that can be put to a number of uses.

● Typical mature height: 5m in Melbourne ● Useful in: Parks, reserves, streetscapes ● Sites for best growth: Well-drained sites

Eriobotrya deﬂexa is native to Japan and typically grows as a multi-trunked small tree with a rounded crown. It has a dense canopy of glossy dark green leaves up to 200 mm long. The new growth emerges as a handsome, shiny reddish bronze. It has small (10 mm) yellow fruit that could cause some nuisance, depending on location. It has a compact growth habit making it useful in restricted spaces and under wires and has been used for screening and hedging. Once established the species has good tolerance of dry sites and it tolerates a wide range of soil pH, including alkaline soils.

● Typical mature height: to 15m ● Useful in: streetscapes, parks ● Sites for best growth: all with free drainage

Red-flowering gum is a prominent tree in the sand belts in the southern Melbourne suburbs. Because of its tidy, rounded shape, elegant foliage, and showy summer flowering, C. ficifolia is readily noticed. This tree can also be noticed in areas where there are heavy clay soils; here it’s noticed for its weak, spindly growth and die-back throughout the canopy. With C. ficifolia, it is important to site the tree on well-drained soils, so that the problems of waterlogging will not become noticeable.

Some producers are now grafting C. ficifolia on seedling understocks to ensure bright red flower colour. Others are grafting onto C. maculata understocks to give greater flexibility with clay soil siting. Both of these grafting ideas are excellent, but to date there are no mature (15+ years) populations of these grafted trees to evaluate. It is possible that graft incompatibility will not show up for many years after grafting, and this incompatibility could cause trees to become unstable (at the graft union). Because of this liability, we recommend that grafted C. ficifolia are used only in areas where tree failure (typically, mature trees breaking off 10cm above ground level) will not be too expensive. We cannot recommend planting these grafted trees into streetscapes until experience indicates that they are safe.

Metropolitan Tree Growers are producing seedling-grown trees from commercial seed that will give relatively uniform shape and reasonable ﬂower colour in the landscape. These trees will need to be sited correctly, but do not have the potential graft incompatibility problem to concern the horticulturist.

● Typical mature height: most often 12m in Melbourne

● Useful in: streetscapes, avenues, parks

● Sites for best growth: most soil types, full sun

Yellow Bloodwood is the least commonly found of the temperate Corymbia species in Melbourne environs, but is an excellent tree for any non-frost-aﬀected area. C. eximia originates in central New South Wales, from the Hunter River south to Nowra. It is typiﬁed by patchy, grey and brown bark, frequently on a crooked trunk.

The foliage of Yellow Bloodwood is broad-lanceolate, far broader than found on C. citriodora. It also differs from the more common bloodwoods, in that it is spring flowering, normally from August to October. C. eximia flowers for a relatively short time, but when it is in flower, the tree is a mass of creamy blooms.

C. eximia is noted for its ability to succeed on poor, gravelly or sandy soils, and its continuing health during droughts. With these functional capabilities, it is a tree that should be planted more commonly in Melbourne.

Yellow Bloodwood will suﬀer from frost damage, even when mature, and in a Melbourne winter, the normally bluish green leaves take on a pale yellowish tinge. When spring and warm weather return, this foliage discolouration fades very quickly.

Although there are few Yellow Bloodwoods in the Melbourne streetscape, cities to our north, including Albury, have used C. eximia successfully for many years. A smaller growing form, known as C. eximia ‘Nana’, grows to about 8m, and is a very suitable tree for height-restricted areas.