How to Use Feature Trees to Lift Your Landscape

Five feature trees that anchor a garden. Evergreen weight, sculptural form, seasonal colour and Mediterranean character.

AcerBrachychitonCrepe MyrtleFeature TreesFocal PointsLandscape DesignMagnoliaOlea

A feature tree is the one your eye lands on first. Get the choice right and the whole garden hangs together. Five trees we use as anchors.

What makes a good feature tree

Strong distinctive shape, at least one season of standout interest, mature size that matches the space. Evergreens hold the composition all year. Deciduous trees give seasonal change.

Magnolia Coolwyn Gloss feature

Magnolia grandiflora Coolwyn Gloss

Evergreen weight with glossy dark foliage and large fragrant white flowers.

Acer palmatum, Japanese Maple

The classic small garden feature. Sculptural branching, brilliant autumn colour.

Natchez Crepe Myrtle

Lagerstroemia indica Natchez

White summer flowers, autumn colour, cinnamon winter bark. Four season interest.

Brachychiton rupestris

Queensland Bottle Tree. Sculptural swollen trunk that anchors a garden.

Olive feature tree

Olea europaea Manzanillo

Silver foliage and sculptural form. Anchors a Mediterranean composition.

Placement matters

Set the feature tree against an evergreen backdrop or a wall it stands clear of. Allow its mature size to read against the wider planting.

FAQ

Single or multiple feature trees? Single is stronger in a small garden. Multiples work in larger gardens with clear sight lines.

Evergreen or deciduous? Both work. Evergreens give year round structure, deciduous trees give seasonal drama.

1. Magnolia grandiflora Coolwyn Gloss (Coolwyn Gloss Magnolia)

Coolwyn Gloss is a feature tree with weight. Glossy dark foliage holds form year round and the large fragrant white flowers carry through the warmer months.

Type: Evergreen feature tree
Height: 5 to 8 metres
Width: 3 to 4 metres
Growth rate: Moderate
Foliage: Very glossy dark green with bronze undersides
Flowers: Large fragrant white
Form: Upright dense
Conditions: Full sun to part shade
Maintenance: Low
Best for: Feature tree, formal entries, year round structure

Why choose it

Glossy finish lifts the planting and holds form through every season.

Perfect pair

Pair with a Crepe Myrtle Natchez for seasonal flowering contrast.

Tips for planting

Mulch well, water deeply in dry spells.

An evergreen feature with proper weight.

Shop Magnolia grandiflora Coolwyn Gloss

2. Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple)

Japanese Maple is the classic small feature tree. Layered branching, palmate leaves, brilliant autumn colour.

Type: Deciduous feature tree
Height: 3 to 5 metres
Width: 2 to 4 metres
Growth rate: Moderate
Foliage: Palmate, brilliant scarlet to orange autumn
Form: Layered horizontal
Conditions: Part shade, moist well drained soils
Maintenance: Low
Best for: Courtyards, focal points, designer planting

Why choose it

Strong sculptural form plus seasonal change.

Perfect pair

Pair with a Magnolia Coolwyn Gloss as an evergreen backdrop.

Tips for planting

Avoid hot afternoon sun. Mulch and water deeply through dry spells.

A sculptural feature tree at small scale.

Shop Acer palmatum

3. Lagerstroemia indica Natchez (Natchez Crepe Myrtle)

Natchez carries masses of white summer flowers, glossy summer leaves, fiery autumn colour and cinnamon coloured exfoliating bark in winter.

Type: Deciduous feature tree
Height: 5 to 7 metres
Width: 3 to 5 metres
Growth rate: Fast
Foliage: Green summer, orange red autumn
Flowers: White summer panicles
Form: Vase shape, multi stemmed
Conditions: Full sun, well drained soils
Maintenance: Light winter prune
Best for: Feature tree, summer flowering, winter bark

Why choose it

Four season interest on a manageable size.

Perfect pair

Pair with a Magnolia Coolwyn Gloss for evergreen counterpoint.

Tips for planting

Lift lower branches to expose the bark in winter.

A four season feature tree.

Shop Lagerstroemia indica Natchez

4. Brachychiton rupestris (Queensland Bottle Tree)

Queensland Bottle Tree is a sculptural native with a dramatically swollen trunk. Long lived, drought hardy, the kind of feature tree that anchors a whole garden.

Type: Semi evergreen native feature tree
Height: 8 to 15 metres
Width: 5 to 8 metres
Growth rate: Slow
Foliage: Glossy dark green
Form: Swollen bottle shaped trunk with a broad crown
Conditions: Full sun, well drained soils, very drought tolerant
Maintenance: Very low
Best for: Sculptural feature, drought sites, premium landscapes

Why choose it

Unmistakable sculptural trunk that becomes the focal point of the garden.

Perfect pair

Pair with a Banksia integrifolia as a flowering native understorey.

Tips for planting

Allow generous root run. Plant in autumn into well prepared ground.

Sculptural drought hardy native.

Shop Brachychiton rupestris

5. Olea europaea Manzanillo (Manzanillo Olive)

Olive trees anchor Mediterranean style plantings as feature trees. Silver foliage, sculptural trunk on mature trees, edible fruit as a bonus.

Type: Evergreen Mediterranean feature tree
Height: 4 to 6 metres
Width: 3 to 5 metres
Growth rate: Moderate
Foliage: Silver grey green
Form: Rounded crown
Conditions: Full sun, well drained soils
Maintenance: Low
Best for: Mediterranean gardens, dry climate feature trees, poolside

Why choose it

Silver foliage, sculptural form, drought hardy and edible.

Perfect pair

Pair with a Bay Tree hedge for a Mediterranean composition.

Tips for planting

Plant in free draining ground. Mulch with coarse stone.

A Mediterranean feature with character.

Shop Olea europaea Manzanillo

Compare at a glance

Cultivar	Height	Width	Form	Foliage	Best if you…
Magnolia grandiflora Coolwyn Gloss Coolwyn Gloss Magnolia	5 to 8 metres	3 to 4 metres	Upright dense	Very glossy dark green with bronze undersides	Feature tree, formal entries, year round structure
Acer palmatum Japanese Maple	3 to 5 metres	2 to 4 metres	Layered horizontal	Palmate, brilliant scarlet to orange autumn	Courtyards, focal points, designer planting
Lagerstroemia indica Natchez Natchez Crepe Myrtle	5 to 7 metres	3 to 5 metres	Vase shape, multi stemmed	Green summer, orange red autumn	Feature tree, summer flowering, winter bark
Brachychiton rupestris Queensland Bottle Tree	8 to 15 metres	5 to 8 metres	Swollen bottle shaped trunk with a broad crown	Glossy dark green	Sculptural feature, drought sites, premium landscapes
Olea europaea Manzanillo Manzanillo Olive	4 to 6 metres	3 to 5 metres	Rounded crown	Silver grey green	Mediterranean gardens, dry climate feature trees, poolside