Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak - Evergreen Trees Direct

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak

$270.00

Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Size: 40cm/45L

30cm 40cm/45L 100L

Current Stock Height Guides

40cm/45L: Enquire within for height guide information.
100L: Enquire within for height guide information.

Height guide disclaimer: Height ranges are approximate only. As living products, plant heights naturally vary between individual plants, batches, and seasons. No guarantee is given that supplied plants will fall within the stated range. If minimum heights are required, you mustconfirm current batch heights with Evergreen Trees Direct prior to purchase. Variation in height is normal and is not grounds for return, refund, replacement, or compensation.

Mature Height & Width

Mature Height: 5m to 10m

Mature Width: 3m to 6m

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak is expected to grow 40cm to 70cm per year.

Root Ball Dimensions

Use this as a reference when digging your planting hole. We recommend digging at least 10% wider than the dimensions below to encourage strong root development.

30cm Pot: 33cm (W) × 30cm (D)
40cm/45L Pot: 44cm (W) × 41.5cm (D)
50cm Pot / 70L Pot: 55cm (W) × 41.8cm (D)
100L Bag: 50.6cm (W) × 52.8cm (D)
150L Bag: 66cm (W) × 55cm (D)
200L Bag: 71.5cm (W) × 60.5cm (D)
300L Bag: 88cm (W) × 63.8cm (D)
400L Bag: 99cm (W) × 66cm (D)
500L Bag: 122cm (W) × 66cm (D)
750L Bag: 134cm (W) × 69cm (D)
1000L Bag: 146.3cm (W) × 71.5cm (D)
2000L Bag: 176cm (W) × 82.5cm (D)

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About Your New Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak

Allocasuarina verticillata, the Drooping She Oak, is a broad rounded tree with long, fine branchlets that hang in a distinct weeping curtain. The canopy sighs in wind, which is part of the appeal. Female trees carry red flowers in winter and hold woody ribbed cones along the older wood.

It grows in full sun on almost anything, including shallow, rocky, sandy and alkaline soil, and handles drought, salt wind, exposure and light to moderate frost. Expect 40 to 70 centimetres of growth a year. It is native from Tasmania and Victoria north into Queensland, and fixes its own nitrogen at the roots.

Use it as a shade and habitat tree on rural blocks, in windbreak lines, in revegetation and mine site work, or spaced 3 to 4 metres apart as a feature. It is the main food tree for glossy black cockatoos, which makes it a common choice on council and biodiversity plantings.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Drooping She Oak

What is a Drooping She Oak?

It is an Australian native tree in the Casuarinaceae family, found from Tasmania through Victoria and South Australia to coastal New South Wales and Queensland. The weeping habit and very fine grey-green branchlets set it apart from other sheoaks. What looks like foliage is actually jointed stems, with the true leaves reduced to tiny scales.

How big does Drooping She Oak grow?

Mature height is 5 to 10 metres with a spread of 3 to 6 metres, so it becomes a broad, rounded, weeping tree. Trees on deep soil with reliable moisture reach the top of that range. On dry, shallow or coastal sites they often stay closer to 5 or 6 metres with a denser crown.

Is it evergreen or deciduous?

Evergreen. It keeps its fine drooping branchlets all year, so screening and windbreak value does not drop away in winter. The colour shifts slightly with the seasons, from grey-green to a bronze cast in cold weather, and older branchlets are shed gradually through the year rather than all at once.

Where does it grow best in Australia?

It grows across most of southern and eastern Australia, from Tasmania and Victoria through South Australia to coastal New South Wales and southern Queensland. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate, Mediterranean and semi-arid districts. The main limits are heavy waterlogged clay and wet tropical humidity, where it tends to be short lived.

Does it have invasive roots?

The root system is deep and fibrous rather than aggressive, and it is not known for lifting paving or invading drains. Even so, give it 3 to 4 metres of clearance from buildings, footpaths and services, as you would with any tree of this size. It suckers occasionally from roots on disturbed ground.

How fast does it grow?

Around 40 to 70 centimetres a year once established, which puts it in the moderate to fast bracket. Advanced trees planted in autumn or early spring get a full season of root growth before summer. Water deeply and less often through the first two years to draw the roots down, then leave it be.

How do I care for Drooping She Oak?

Little care is needed. Water through the first two summers, mulch out to the drip line and keep the mulch off the trunk. Do not feed with phosphorus rich fertilisers. Formative pruning to lift the canopy is best done young, as older trees resent heavy cuts and are better left to their natural shape.

Enriched Planting Mix (AO Certified)

$21.95

Enriched Planting Mix is a certified organic blend of Pure Magic Compost, composted animal manure, gypsum, composted coarse bark and a wetting agent, bagged in 30L. It is built to be dug through existing garden soil at planting time rather than used on its own, and the gypsum is what sets it apart from a plain compost.

Gypsum helps break up heavy clay so water and roots can move through it, while the compost and manure return organic matter and nutrient to tired ground. The coarse bark holds structure and keeps air around the root zone, and the wetting agent keeps moisture in the soil longer after rain or watering.

Use it when planting trees, shrubs, roses, fruit trees and exotic garden plants, particularly into clay. Dig a hole twice the width of the pot and 7 centimetres deeper, then mix roughly one third planting mix through the excavated soil. Spread 7 centimetres of that improved soil in the base before setting the plant in.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Enriched Planting Mix

What is Enriched Planting Mix made from?

It is a blend of Pure Magic Compost, composted animal manure, gypsum, composted coarse bark and a wetting agent. Each part has a job. The compost and manure supply organic matter and nutrient, the gypsum works on clay structure, the bark keeps air around the roots and the wetting agent holds moisture in the soil.

What plants is it suitable for?

It suits exotic garden plants, including roses, ornamental and deciduous trees, fruit trees, shrubs and perennials, and it earns its keep most on heavy clay sites. It is a planting mix rather than a potting mix, so its job is improving soil at planting time. Phosphorus sensitive natives are the one clear exception.

Is it safe for natives?

No, not for the phosphorus sensitive ones. The composted animal manure in this blend lifts phosphorus well above what Proteaceae such as Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea and Protea will tolerate, and the result can be leaf burn, dieback and plant death. Use the Native Potting Mix for those species, or plant them into unimproved local soil.

Is it certified organic?

Yes. It is a certified organic product with no chemical additives, which is why the manure and compost in it are fully composted rather than raw. That makes it sound around fruit trees and vegetable beds, and it means you are adding genuine organic matter to your soil rather than a synthetic conditioner.

How much do I need?

Work on roughly one third planting mix to two thirds of the soil you dug out of the hole. For a shrub out of a 200 millimetre pot that is only a few litres. An advanced tree going into a large hole will take considerably more. Judge the quantity by the volume of the hole rather than the size of the plant.

Can I use it in pots?

It is not a potting mix and should not be used on its own in a container. The blend is designed to be diluted through garden soil, and used straight in a pot it holds too much water and settles badly. For containers, reach for a premium potting mix, or the native mix if you are potting natives.

Does it need to be watered in?

Yes. Water the plant well several hours before you plant it, then water thoroughly again once the hole is backfilled and the soil firmed down. That first deep watering settles the improved soil around the root ball and drives out air pockets. Keep the water up over the first few months while the roots establish.

View full details

Type: Garden Supplies

Enriched Planting Mix (AO Certified)

$21.95

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Uses in my Garden

Screening or Privacy
Rural Property Planting
Shade Tree
Revegetation or Regeneration
Council or Civic Landscapes

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak works in an:

Australian Native Garden – celebrates local plants with natural character.
Coastal Garden – relaxed, seaside feel with hardy, textural plants.
Woodland Garden – layered, naturalistic design under dappled light.
Low-maintenance Garden – resilient choices for easy care and year-round appeal.

Is Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak Evergreen or Deciduous?

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak is an Evergreen (foliage year round) Tree

Mature Height & Width

Mature Height: 5m to 10m

Mature Width: 3m to 6m

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak is expected to grow 40cm to 70cm per year.

Growth Rate of Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak is expected to grow 40cm to 70cm per year.

They are considered to have a:

Medium Growth Rate

Frost Tolerance & Ideal Climate to plant Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak

Is Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak frost tolerant?

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak is Frost Tolerant – Can handle light to moderate frost once established.

Does Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak Flower?

Allocasuarina verticillata produces small red to rust-coloured flowers from late winter into spring. Though subtle, the blooms sit along the fine, drooping branchlets and are followed by its distinctive woody cone-like fruit.

Does Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak flower?

Yes - Flowers

Flowering Period:

Winter

Flower Type:

Not Applicable

Flower Colour:

Red

Is Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak an Australian Native Tree?

Yes

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak is Native to Southern Australia, including South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, and parts of New South Wales, where it grows naturally on coastal headlands, rocky hillsides, and inland plains.

What is the Wildlife Value of Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak ?

Its dense, weeping branchlets provide shelter and nesting opportunities for small birds, while its seed cones are an important food source for native parrots and other seed-eating species. The flowers also support native bees and beneficial insects, contributing to a robust and biodiverse ecosystem.

How much Sunlight does Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak need?

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak will thrive best in:

Full Sun
Part Shade

Preferred Soil?

Allocasuarina verticillata performs best in well-drained sandy or loam soils and tolerates slightly acidic to slightly alkaline conditions. It can struggle in heavy clay or poorly drained ground unless improved with organic matter and coarse material to enhance drainage. Keep soil evenly moist during establishment, then reduce watering as the tree matures and develops its characteristic high drought tolerance.

Is Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak Drought Tolerant?

Is Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak Drought tolerant?

As a young tree it needs regular watering, but once established Allocasuarina verticillata develops excellent drought tolerance. It thrives in dry coastal and inland conditions and maintains its soft, drooping habit with minimal supplementary watering.

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How To Plant Your Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak

Site: Choose a well-drained position in full sun to part shade with room for the canopy to develop.

Soil preparation: Enrich the planting area with quality compost and aged manure for a strong establishment phase.

Hole: Dig twice as wide as the root ball and the same depth.

Planting: Position level with the surrounding soil, backfill gently, firm in, then water deeply to settle the roots.

Recommended Planting Spacing For Your Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak

Hedging and screening: 1 to 1.5 metres apart for a dense informal screen, or 80 centimetres apart for a tighter formal hedge.

Feature tree: 3 to 4 metres apart to allow the full canopy and form to develop.

Avenue planting: 3 metres apart for a uniform soft-textured avenue.

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak is expected to grow 40cm to 70cm per year.

Medium Growth Rate

Long Term Care For Your Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak

Watering: Water deeply twice weekly through the first 12 months. Once established, this is drought tolerant and only needs a deep soak during extended dry periods.

Mulching: Apply a 5 to 7 centimetre layer of organic mulch over the root zone, keeping it 5 centimetres clear of the trunk.

Pruning: Tip prune in late winter and again in summer to build dense growth. For a formal hedge, light shaping two to three times a year keeps lines crisp.

Fertilising: Apply a slow-release native blend in early spring and again in autumn. Avoid high-phosphorus formulations as a precaution.

Pest and disease: Hardy against most pests and diseases. Occasional inspection in warm humid conditions is all that's needed.

Planting Your Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping She Oak in Different Soil

Allocasuarina verticillata performs best in well-drained sandy loam or loam with a slightly acidic to neutral pH. Adaptable to a wide range of soils when drainage is improved with organic matter.

Sandy soil: Free-draining and ideal. Mulch well to maintain consistent moisture.

Clay soil: Improve drainage with gypsum and organic compost before planting.

Loam: The preferred soil for steady root development and consistent growth.

pH: Slightly acidic to neutral preferred. Mulch with composted leaf litter to maintain levels naturally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Drooping She Oak commonly used for?
A. It’s ideal for windbreaks, screening, habitat planting, and as a low-maintenance ornamental tree in native gardens and large landscapes.

Q. How tall and wide does it grow?
A. Typically reaches 5 – 10 m in height with a 3 – 6 m spread. It forms a soft, weeping canopy.

Q. Does it flower?
A. Yes — seasonal reddish-brown flowers appear, followed by distinct woody cones, mostly on female trees.

Q. Is it drought tolerant?
A. Yes — once established, it is very drought hardy and needs minimal supplemental watering.

Q. Can it tolerate poor or coastal soils?
A. Absolutely — it’s well-suited to poor, sandy, and coastal soils, and contributes to nitrogen fixation in the soil.

Q. What kind of pruning or maintenance is needed?
A. Low maintenance — light pruning every few years to shape or remove dead branches is sufficient.

Q. What light conditions are best?
A. Grows best in full sun, but tolerates part shade as well.