The Brachychiton flowering hybrids are some of the most rewarding feature trees you can plant in Australia. They flower from late spring through summer, hold most of their foliage year round, and ask very little of you once established. The catch is that the three main hybrids, Bella Donna, Jerilderie Red, and Bella Pink, are often confused with each other.
This guide untangles them, then walks through planting, watering, and maintenance for all three.
How to tell the three apart
The differences come down to flower colour and a small variation in mature size.
Brachychiton 'Bella Donna' carries soft pink bell shaped flowers. The pink is muted and pastel, closer to a dusty rose than a hot pink. Mature size sits around 6 to 10m.
Brachychiton 'Jerilderie Red' carries deep vivid red flowers. This is the closest of the three to the famous Illawarra Flame Tree look, and the most popular when red is the goal. Mature size sits at 6 to 12m.
Brachychiton 'Bella Pink' carries bright saturated pink flowers, more vivid than Bella Donna and warmer in tone. Mature size sits around 6 to 10m.
All three are hybrids of Brachychiton populneus and Brachychiton acerifolius, which means they inherit the compact reliable habit of the Kurrajong with the spectacular flowering of the Illawarra Flame Tree. The result is a smaller, tidier, more reliable flowering tree than either parent.
Planting your Brachychiton hybrid
All three hybrids have the same planting requirements.
Sun
Full sun, ideally six hours or more of direct light a day. Flowering is in direct proportion to sun exposure. A shaded Brachychiton will grow but flower poorly.
Soil
Free draining is essential. Brachychitons hate wet feet. Heavy clay soils need to be improved with gypsum, compost, and a raised mound. Sandy free draining soils are ideal.
Spacing
Allow 4 to 5m clearance from buildings, fences, and paving. The mature crown spreads to 4 to 6m and the root system, while not invasive, prefers room to develop.
Watering
The first two summers are critical. After that, all three hybrids are notably drought tolerant.
Water deeply two to three times a week through the first summer. Slow soaking at the dripline, around 20 to 30 litres per watering. Surface watering is ineffective and produces weak shallow roots.
Through the second summer, taper to once a week deep watering. From the third year on, these trees rarely need supplementary water outside of extended drought or extreme heat at 30°C and above.
Maintenance
These are some of the lowest maintenance flowering trees in the trade.
Stake firmly for the first 18 months, especially in windier positions. Formative pruning in the first three winters sets a strong single leader and balanced crown. Remove crossing branches and inward growing limbs.
Once established, mature Brachychiton hybrids need almost no intervention. Light shape pruning every few years is enough. Avoid heavy fertilising, which encourages foliage at the expense of flowers. A handful of slow release fertiliser in early spring is all they need.
The seed pods are woody and persist on the tree for months. They drop intermittently, rake them off lawn to avoid mower damage.
Are these evergreen or deciduous?
This is the most common question, and the answer is more nuanced than the labels suggest.
The parent species Brachychiton populneus is evergreen. The parent species Brachychiton acerifolius is briefly deciduous before flowering. The hybrids inherit a mostly evergreen habit.
In warm temperate and subtropical climates, expect Bella Donna, Jerilderie Red, and Bella Pink to hold most of their foliage year round, with a brief partial drop just before flowering. In cooler climates, the foliage drop can be more pronounced but is still typically short lived. You will not see a fully bare tree through winter the way you would with a true deciduous species like a Jacaranda or Liquidambar.
The takeaway: treat them as mostly evergreen flowering feature trees, not as fully deciduous trees.
Final thoughts
If you want a flowering feature tree that delivers spectacle, suits a mid sized Australian block, holds most of its foliage year round, and asks almost nothing of you, the Brachychiton hybrids are hard to beat.
Bella Donna for soft pink. Jerilderie Red for the classic flame tree red. Bella Pink for vivid hot pink. All three reliable, all three compact, all three among our most popular feature trees.
I am spreading Brachychiton envy. I have a most wonderful red flower out back. Best Australian Christmas tree.