Most loved for its heart-shaped foliage, fragrant clusters of pale-yellow flowers in summer, and its neat pyramidal to rounded crown.
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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.
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Tilia cordata, the small leaved lime or little leaf linden, is a large deciduous shade tree with an upright, symmetrical and roughly pyramidal crown. The dark green leaves are heart shaped and neatly toothed, turning clear golden yellow in autumn. Fragrant pale yellow flowers hang beneath the foliage in summer.
It grows 15 to 20 metres tall and 8 to 12 metres wide over time, adding 30 to 60 centimetres a year. Cool temperate climates suit it best and it is fully frost hardy. It accepts a wide range of soils, tolerates urban pollution and copes with moderate drought once established.
It is planted as an avenue tree, in parks and along streets where a formal, even canopy is wanted, and it takes pleaching or clipping into a raised hedge on stilts. Allow room for the mature spread. Few deciduous trees give this much shade with such a predictable, tidy shape.
About Small-Leaved Lime
Tilia cordata is a European deciduous tree, known as small leaved lime in Britain and little leaf linden in North America. It has no connection to citrus limes. It is grown for its dense, symmetrical canopy, its heart shaped foliage and the scented flowers that bees work heavily through summer.
Mature trees reach 15 to 20 metres in height with a canopy 8 to 12 metres across, so this is a tree for parks, streets and larger properties rather than a suburban courtyard. Growth is steady at 30 to 60 centimetres a year, so it takes decades to reach full size. Plan spacing around the final width.
Deciduous. Leaves emerge fresh green in spring, deepen through summer, turn golden yellow in autumn and drop for winter. That cycle is part of the appeal in avenue planting, giving shade in summer and winter sun through the bare canopy. The branch structure is neat and symmetrical, so the tree still reads well when leafless.
Flowering is in summer, generally December and January, with small fragrant pale yellow flowers hanging in clusters beneath a papery bract. The scent carries on still evenings and the flowers are worked heavily by bees. Small round nutlets follow. Trees usually need to be well established before they flower freely.
It is a cool climate tree and performs best in Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT, the southern tablelands of New South Wales, the Adelaide Hills and cooler parts of south western Western Australia. It wants a genuine winter chill. Subtropical and tropical regions are unsuitable, and hot dry inland sites need irrigation.
Yes. It is one of the standard species for pleaching, where the canopy is trained flat on a frame above a clear trunk to make a hedge on stilts. It also clips into a formal block. Both treatments need annual pruning in winter to hold the shape and keep growth even along the frame.
Water deeply through the first three summers and mulch a wide root zone. Formative pruning in the early years builds a strong central leader and evenly spaced branches. After that, prune in winter while dormant to remove crossing limbs and basal suckers, which this species produces freely. Mature trees need little beyond suckering and deadwood removal.
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Tilia cordata, the small leaved lime or little leaf linden, is a large deciduous shade tree with an upright, symmetrical and roughly pyramidal crown. The dark green leaves are heart shaped and neatly toothed, turning clear golden yellow in autumn. Fragrant pale yellow flowers hang beneath the foliage in summer.
It grows 15 to 20 metres tall and 8 to 12 metres wide over time, adding 30 to 60 centimetres a year. Cool temperate climates suit it best and it is fully frost hardy. It accepts a wide range of soils, tolerates urban pollution and copes with moderate drought once established.
It is planted as an avenue tree, in parks and along streets where a formal, even canopy is wanted, and it takes pleaching or clipping into a raised hedge on stilts. Allow room for the mature spread. Few deciduous trees give this much shade with such a predictable, tidy shape.
About Small-Leaved Lime
Tilia cordata is a European deciduous tree, known as small leaved lime in Britain and little leaf linden in North America. It has no connection to citrus limes. It is grown for its dense, symmetrical canopy, its heart shaped foliage and the scented flowers that bees work heavily through summer.
Mature trees reach 15 to 20 metres in height with a canopy 8 to 12 metres across, so this is a tree for parks, streets and larger properties rather than a suburban courtyard. Growth is steady at 30 to 60 centimetres a year, so it takes decades to reach full size. Plan spacing around the final width.
Deciduous. Leaves emerge fresh green in spring, deepen through summer, turn golden yellow in autumn and drop for winter. That cycle is part of the appeal in avenue planting, giving shade in summer and winter sun through the bare canopy. The branch structure is neat and symmetrical, so the tree still reads well when leafless.
Flowering is in summer, generally December and January, with small fragrant pale yellow flowers hanging in clusters beneath a papery bract. The scent carries on still evenings and the flowers are worked heavily by bees. Small round nutlets follow. Trees usually need to be well established before they flower freely.
It is a cool climate tree and performs best in Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT, the southern tablelands of New South Wales, the Adelaide Hills and cooler parts of south western Western Australia. It wants a genuine winter chill. Subtropical and tropical regions are unsuitable, and hot dry inland sites need irrigation.
Yes. It is one of the standard species for pleaching, where the canopy is trained flat on a frame above a clear trunk to make a hedge on stilts. It also clips into a formal block. Both treatments need annual pruning in winter to hold the shape and keep growth even along the frame.
Water deeply through the first three summers and mulch a wide root zone. Formative pruning in the early years builds a strong central leader and evenly spaced branches. After that, prune in winter while dormant to remove crossing limbs and basal suckers, which this species produces freely. Mature trees need little beyond suckering and deadwood removal.
Deciduous (Defoliates throughout colder months)
Tilia cordata is expected to grow 30cm to 60cm per year (moderate) (approx.).
Tilia cordata works in an:
Tilia cordata is an Deciduous (Defoliates throughout colder months) Tree
Mature Height: 15m to 20m (approx.)
Mature Width: 8m to 12m
Tilia cordata is expected to grow 30cm to 60cm per year (moderate) (approx.).
Tilia cordata is expected to grow 30cm to 60cm per year (moderate) (approx.).
They are considered to have a:
Is Tilia cordata frost tolerant?
Tilia cordata is Frost Hardy – Survives heavy and frequent frost without damage.
Tilia cordata produces clusters of creamy-yellow, sweetly scented flowers in early to mid-summer. The pendulous blooms create a soft, elegant display and are among the most fragrant of any ornamental tree, adding both visual and sensory appeal to the landscape.
Does Tilia cordata flower?
Flowering Period:
Flower Type:
Flower Colour:
Yellow
No
Tilia cordata is Native to Europe and western Asia, where it grows naturally in mixed forests, woodlands, and along river valleys.
Its highly fragrant summer flowers are a magnet for bees, hoverflies and other beneficial pollinators, providing valuable nectar at a key time of year. The dense, rounded canopy also offers excellent shelter and nesting opportunities for small birds, making Tilia cordata a strong contributor to garden biodiversity.
Tilia cordata will thrive best in:
Tilia cordata performs best in well-drained loam or sandy loam soils with an acidic to neutral pH. It will tolerate lighter sandy soils if enriched with organic matter to improve moisture retention and fertility. Avoid heavy clay, compacted or waterlogged conditions unless significantly improved, as these soils can stress the roots and reduce growth. Keep the soil evenly moist during establishment, then gradually reduce watering as the tree matures.
Is Tilia cordata Drought tolerant?
As a young tree it benefits from regular deep watering to establish well. Once established, Tilia cordata develops moderate drought tolerance and performs reliably during warm, dry periods when planted in well-drained soil. Occasional supplementary watering during extended heat helps maintain canopy density, leaf quality and overall vigour.
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Photographs are not to scale. Heights are approximate and vary between individual trees.
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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.
About Enriched Planting Mix
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
About Enriched Planting Mix
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Osmanthus x burkwoodii, or Burkwood osmanthus, is a compact evergreen shrub with an upright bushy habit, a garden hybrid between Osmanthus delavayi and Osmanthus decorus. The small dark green leaves are leathery and glossy, and in spring the whole plant carries clusters of little white flowers with a heavy sweet scent.
It grows 2 to 3 metres tall and 1.5 to 2 metres wide at about 15 to 30 centimetres a year. Full sun to part shade suits it, in any well-drained soil. Cool temperate through to warm temperate gardens all work, frost is handled easily, and water matters mainly in the first summers.
Plant it 80 centimetres apart for a clipped formal hedge, 1 to 1.5 metres apart for a soft screen, or 3 metres apart down an avenue. Single plants hold their own near a seat or path where the spring fragrance is noticed. This is a hedge that asks for one trim a year.
About Burkwood Osmanthus
Burkwood osmanthus is a compact evergreen shrub, a garden hybrid between Osmanthus delavayi and Osmanthus decorus. It forms an upright bushy plant of small, leathery, dark green leaves, and in spring it carries dense clusters of little white tubular flowers with a strong sweet fragrance that carries across a courtyard.
It reaches 2 to 3 metres tall and 1.5 to 2 metres wide at maturity, growing about 15 to 30 centimetres a year. Clipped as a hedge it is easily held at 1.5 metres or lower. The habit is naturally neat, so it fills out from the base without the bare legs many shrubs develop.
For a tight formal hedge plant 80 centimetres apart. For a fuller informal screen allow 1 to 1.5 metres between plants and let them knit together over two to three seasons. If you are running it as an avenue of clipped shapes, 3 metres apart gives each plant room to develop evenly.
Spring, roughly September to November, with the heaviest display in the middle of that window. The flowers are small and white in tight clusters along the stems, and the fragrance is strong enough to fill an enclosed garden. Prune after flowering rather than before if you want the full display each year.
Full sun to part shade both work. Full sun gives the densest growth and the heaviest flowering, while part shade suits it in hot inland gardens where afternoon protection helps. It will grow in more shade than that, but the plant opens up and flowers less. Avoid deep shade under dense evergreens.
Yes. It handles frost comfortably once established and is a dependable choice for cool temperate districts, including the tablelands and Victorian and Tasmanian gardens. It also grows well in milder coastal and warm temperate areas. Young plants benefit from steady water through their first two summers, which matters more than winter protection.
Trim once a year straight after flowering, taking the new growth back to shape. A second light tidy in late summer keeps a formal hedge crisp. Water regularly for the first two summers, then only through long dry spells. Mulch the root zone and feed with a general fertiliser in early spring.
Buxus sempervirens English Box Topiary Balls are pre-clipped formal evergreen specimens, available in three mature sizes and ready to place. The tight, fine, dark green foliage holds a precise rounded form year-round and gives the classic formal topiary look that no other Buxus replicates. As one of our most consistently strong-selling products, our English Box topiary balls are well-shaped, well-rooted, and arrive in proportion to the pot size.
English Box performs best in cool to temperate climates and is slow growing at around 15 to 25 cm per year in good conditions, which is exactly why it holds sharp formal shapes so well. It thrives in full sun to part shade with well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral loamy soil, and is frost hardy, drought tolerant once established, and excellent in containers. Two light clips per year, in spring and again in late summer, keep the ball form crisp.
Use them flanking entrances, lining formal pathways, anchoring symmetrical garden beds, defining parterre and knot gardens, and in pairs in classic urns and decorative pots at front doors. Buxus sempervirens is the original topiary plant and remains the benchmark for traditional and contemporary formal design, with a level of finesse and density that fast-growing alternatives cannot replicate.
About Buxus sempervirens English Box Topiary Balls
Our English Box topiary balls arrive pre-clipped and ready to place at the size you order. The 30cm/33cm pots have ball diameters of approximately 30 to 45 cm, the 40cm/45L pots have ball diameters of 40 to 55 cm, and the 50cm/75L pots have ball diameters of 50 to 70 cm. They are well-rooted and in proportion to the pot.
English Box is slow-growing, adding approximately 15 to 25 cm per year once established in good conditions. This slow growth rate is one of the reasons it holds sharp formal shapes so well, and why mature pre-clipped specimens command a premium over seedling-grown stock.
English Box (Buxus sempervirens) has the smallest, finest leaves and the tightest formal texture, ideal for traditional parterres and clipped balls. Japanese Box (Buxus microphylla japonica) has slightly larger leaves, grows faster, and handles heat better. Shaggy Box (Buxus bodinieri) has soft, rounded leaves, much better blight resistance, and is the best choice for humid subtropical climates where English Box can struggle.
English Box performs best in cool to temperate regions including Victoria, the ACT, the NSW Southern Highlands and Central Tablelands, Tasmania, and the elevated parts of South Australia and Western Australia. In humid coastal or hot subtropical regions, consider Buxus bodinieri Shaggy Box or Japanese Box instead for better long-term performance.
Lightly clip in spring and again in late summer or early autumn to maintain the ball shape. Avoid pruning in the heat of summer or during frost periods. Use sharp shears for the cleanest formal finish, and step back regularly to check the symmetry of the form.
Yes. English Box is the classic potted topiary plant and pre-clipped balls look particularly striking in pairs at entrances and on terraces. Use a minimum 30L pot for the 30cm/33cm size and scale up from there, with a quality potting mix and a slow-release fertiliser applied twice yearly.
English Box can be affected by box blight, particularly in humid conditions where foliage stays wet. To reduce risk, ensure good air circulation around each plant, avoid overhead watering, and prune to maintain airflow through the canopy. In high-humidity regions, Buxus bodinieri Shaggy Box is a more disease-resistant alternative.
Viburnum tinus flowers through winter and into spring, when almost nothing else is in bloom, opening tight pink buds into flat clusters of white flowers that are followed by metallic blue-black berries. It is one of very few hedging plants that earns its place in the colder months.
Viburnum tinus grows to 2 to 4 metres tall and 2.5 to 4 metres wide at 30 to 50 centimetres per year, forming a dense evergreen mass right to ground level. It clips cleanly into a formal hedge, holds well as an informal screen, and is equally useful as a large-scale groundcover mass on banks.
This is one of the most forgiving hedging plants available, growing in full sun through to part shade and tolerating light to moderate frost once established. It performs from subtropical Queensland through Sydney, the tablelands, Melbourne, Gippsland, the Western District and Adelaide.
About Viburnum tinus
Viburnum tinus grows to 2 to 4 metres tall and 2.5 to 4 metres wide. It is most often held at 1.5 to 2.5 metres as a clipped hedge and holds density right down to ground level.
Flowering runs through winter and into spring. Tight pink buds open to flat clusters of white flowers, followed by metallic blue-black berries that persist and attract birds.
Yes. It is one of the better hedging plants for shaded positions, performing in full sun through to part shade. In deeper shade growth is more open but the plant stays healthy.
Plant 1 to 1.5 metres apart for a dense informal screen, or 80 centimetres apart for a tight formal hedge. For a groundcover mass on a bank, 1 metre apart works well.
Yes. It handles light to moderate frost once established and performs in cool tablelands districts, though young plants benefit from protection through their first winter.
It grows at a moderate 30 to 50 centimetres per year, which makes it easy to keep at a set height without constant trimming, unlike faster screening plants.
Prune straight after the main flowering finishes in spring. This preserves the following winter's flower buds while giving the plant a full growing season to fill back out.
Prunus lusitanica, the Portuguese Laurel, is a dense evergreen shrub with glossy dark green leaves carried on deep red stalks. Growth is upright and close, holding foliage right down to the base. Small white flower spikes appear in spring, followed by red berries that darken to black. It clips cleanly or grows loose and informal.
Full sun to part shade suits it, and it copes with clay as long as water moves through. Cold is no obstacle. This is one of the few reliable evergreen hedges for genuinely frost prone gardens in the tablelands, Victoria and Tasmania. Growth is around 30 to 50 centimetres a year, with good drought tolerance once established.
Set plants 80 centimetres apart for a tight formal hedge, or 1 to 1.5 metres for a softer screen. It is a standard choice for boundary screening, courtyard walls and clipped garden structure, and it takes readily to topiary and standards. A hedge that stays furnished at ground level year after year is worth paying for.
About Portuguese Laurel
Portuguese Laurel is an evergreen shrub from the Iberian Peninsula, botanically Prunus lusitanica, grown almost entirely for hedging and screening. It has thick glossy dark green leaves on red stems, a naturally dense upright habit, and small white flower spikes in spring that give way to red then black berries. It is not an Australian native.
Left unpruned it will reach roughly 4 to 6 metres over many years, with a spread of 2 to 3 metres. In practice almost every hedge is held somewhere between 1.5 and 3 metres by clipping, and it responds to that treatment without thinning out. Growth is a steady 30 to 50 centimetres a year rather than rapid.
Plant at 80 centimetres apart for a tight formal hedge that closes up quickly, or 1 to 1.5 metres apart for a looser informal screen. Closer spacing fills faster but the plants compete sooner, so keep water and feeding up in the early years. Set the row at least a metre off a fence line to allow access for clipping.
Yes, and this is the main reason it gets specified. It shrugs off hard frost that would burn Ficus, Murraya or Viburnum, which makes it one of the safest evergreen hedges for cold inland and highland gardens. It is equally at home in mild coastal climates, so the one plant covers a very wide range of Australian conditions.
It grows well in part shade, including south facing walls and beds under high canopy, which is unusual for a hedge this dense. Expect slightly more open growth and slower filling than the same plants in full sun. Deep shade with root competition from established trees is the one situation where it will disappoint.
Treat them as unsafe to eat. Like most plants in the genus Prunus, the leaves, seeds and stones contain cyanogenic compounds, and the small black berries are not edible. It is commonly planted in family gardens without incident, but teach children not to eat the fruit, and keep clippings well away from horses and grazing stock.
Trim twice a year for a formal face, once in mid spring after the flush and again in late summer, using hedge shears or secateurs rather than a heavy machine so leaves are not shredded. Feed in spring, mulch, and water through the first two summers. Hard renovation pruning back into old wood is tolerated and regrows well.
Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Sheen' carries small shimmering silver-green leaves on near-black stems, giving a light airy screen that moves in the wind rather than reading as a solid green wall. It is one of the most widely specified screening plants in Australian landscape design for exactly that reason.
'Silver Sheen' grows to 4 to 6 metres tall but only 1.5 to 2 metres wide at 30 to 60 centimetres per year, which makes it a genuine solution for narrow beds along fence lines and between buildings where height is needed but width is not available. Small cream flowers appear in spring and are lightly fragrant.
'Silver Sheen' grows in full sun to part shade and tolerates light to moderate frost once established, performing from subtropical Queensland through Sydney, Melbourne, Gippsland and Adelaide. It clips well, holds density under regular trimming, and is equally effective as a formal hedge or a loose screen.
About Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Sheen'
'Silver Sheen' grows to 4 to 6 metres tall and only 1.5 to 2 metres wide, which makes it one of the best options for narrow screening where a tall hedge is needed in a shallow bed.
It grows at 30 to 60 centimetres per year once established, reaching a usable screening height within three to four years with regular water and feeding.
It naturally holds to 1.5 to 2 metres wide and can be trimmed to under a metre with regular clipping, which is why it is so often used in tight side-boundary positions.
Plant 1 to 1.5 metres apart for a dense informal screen, or 80 centimetres apart for a tighter formal hedge. Closer spacing fills in faster but needs more trimming.
'Silver Sheen' handles light to moderate frost once established. Young plants benefit from protection through their first winter in colder inland districts.
Yes. It performs in full sun through to part shade. In shadier positions growth is slightly more open, which suits a softer informal screen.
It performs from subtropical Queensland through Northern NSW, Sydney, the South Coast and tablelands, Melbourne and surrounds, the Western District, Gippsland and Adelaide.
Trachelospermum jasminoides 'Balls' is Star Jasmine grown and clipped into a dense evergreen sphere. The small glossy leaves sit tight on a woody framework, holding a clean rounded outline year round. White pinwheel flowers open in spring and carry a strong sweet scent right across a courtyard.
Ball specimens hold at about 1 to 1.5 metres tall and wide with light clipping. Full sun to part shade suits them, in any free draining soil. Growth is slow to moderate at 30 to 50 centimetres a year. They handle coastal exposure, light frost and dry spells once the roots are down.
Repeat them along a driveway, either side of an entry, or in pots on a terrace where a formal shape is wanted straight away. They read as structure in a planting scheme without the height of a hedge, and because the form is already trained, a new garden looks settled from the day it goes in.
About Star Jasmine Balls
They are Trachelospermum jasminoides, the common Star Jasmine, grown and clipped into a dense evergreen sphere on a woody framework. Instead of climbing, the plant is trained into a self supporting rounded shape. The foliage is small, glossy and dark green, and the plant carries scented white flowers through spring.
They hold at roughly 1 to 1.5 metres tall and 1 to 1.5 metres wide. Growth is slow to moderate at 30 to 50 centimetres a year, so a light clip once or twice a year keeps the ball tight at whatever size within that range suits the setting.
Full sun to part shade both work. Full sun gives the densest foliage and the heaviest flowering, while part shade produces slightly softer, more open growth and fewer flowers. Avoid deep shade, where the ball thins out and loses its outline. Morning sun with afternoon protection suits hot inland gardens.
Yes, and pots are one of the main uses. A container 50 to 60 centimetres wide with a quality free draining mix will hold a ball for years. Water more often than you would in the ground, especially in summer, and feed in spring and again in late summer. Refresh the mix every few years.
Yes, the foliage is held year round. The glossy dark green leaves take on a bronze tinge in cold weather and green up again in spring, but the plant never goes bare. That is what makes it useful as permanent structure in a scheme, particularly in winter once perennials have died back.
Flowering runs through spring, roughly September to November, and often carries into early summer in warmer districts. The white pinwheel flowers are small but produced in quantity, and the scent is strong on still evenings. Flowering is heaviest on plants in full sun that were not clipped hard just before bud set.
Clip lightly with hedging shears once after flowering and again in late summer if needed, taking only the new growth to keep the outline crisp. Water deeply in dry weather, mulch the base, and feed in early spring. The sap is milky and can irritate skin, so wear gloves when trimming.
Westringia fruticosa, Coastal Rosemary, is an Australian native evergreen shrub from the headlands and dunes of the east coast. It builds a dense rounded bush of fine grey green leaves held in whorls, with small white to pale lilac flowers. Despite the common name it is not the culinary herb.
Mature plants sit at 1.5 to 2 metres tall and 1.5 to 2 metres wide, growing 30 to 60 centimetres a year, and they clip smaller without complaint. Full sun to part shade and sharp drainage are the requirements. Salt wind, sandy soil, drought and light to moderate frost are all handled.
It is a standard on coastal projects, road verges, council garden beds and exposed banks that need erosion cover. Plant 1 to 1.5 metres apart for an informal screen, or 80 centimetres for a clipped hedge. A single plant fills a 40 to 50 centimetre pot on a courtyard or balcony.
About Coastal Rosemary
Westringia fruticosa is an Australian native evergreen shrub from the headlands and dunes of the east coast. It forms a dense rounded bush of fine grey green leaves held in whorls, with small white to pale lilac flowers. Despite the common name it is not culinary rosemary and is not used in cooking.
Mature plants reach 1.5 to 2 metres tall and 1.5 to 2 metres wide. It clips readily to smaller dimensions and is often maintained at around a metre as a hedge or a low mound. Growth is moderate, roughly 30 to 60 centimetres a year, so it holds a trimmed shape well.
It is one of the best shrubs available for exposed coastal work. It grows naturally on sea cliffs and copes with salt laden wind, sand and reflected heat. It is used constantly on beachfront reserves, dune stabilisation projects and seaside gardens where little else holds a tidy shape.
The main flush is spring and summer, roughly September through February, with scattered flowering at other times of the year in mild districts. The flowers are small, white to pale lilac and sit among the foliage rather than above it. Clipped hedges flower less than plants left to grow informally.
Space plants 80 centimetres apart for a tight formal hedge, or 1 to 1.5 metres apart for a dense informal screen. On banks and batters used for erosion cover, 1 metre in a staggered grid gives full ground coverage within about two growing seasons.
Yes. A pot 40 to 50 centimetres wide suits a single plant for a courtyard, entry or balcony. Use a free draining mix, because the roots will not tolerate sitting wet. Container plants need watering more often than those in the ground, plus a light trim to hold their shape.
Trim lightly two or three times a year, taking the soft new growth and avoiding cuts into bare old wood, which reshoots poorly. Water through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. On most soils it needs no feeding at all, and it resents heavy watering and poor drainage.
Quercus robur is the tree you plant for the next century. The English Oak builds a massive broad-spreading canopy of deeply lobed leaves that turn clear gold in autumn, and routinely lives for several hundred years, which makes it the definitive legacy planting for an estate or public park.
Quercus robur grows to 15 to 30 metres tall and 15 to 20 metres wide at a deliberate 20 to 40 centimetres per year. The slow rate builds dense durable timber and a structurally sound frame, and it means the tree needs genuine space from the outset rather than being squeezed into a suburban block.
This is a frost hardy tree that survives heavy and frequent frost without damage, and it colours best where autumns are cold. It grows in full sun, tolerates a wide range of soils including heavy clay, and once established requires nothing beyond room to develop.
About Quercus robur
The English Oak reaches 15 to 30 metres tall and 15 to 20 metres wide. It is a very large tree suited to parkland, estates and acreage rather than suburban gardens.
It grows slowly at 20 to 40 centimetres per year. That slow rate is what produces its dense timber, structural strength and exceptional lifespan.
Quercus robur routinely lives 300 to 500 years and specimens over 800 years are documented. It is one of the longest-lived trees that can be grown in Australia.
Yes. Foliage turns clear golden-yellow through autumn before dropping. Colour is strongest in districts with genuinely cold autumn nights.
Yes. It survives heavy and frequent frost without damage and performs reliably in cold inland tablelands districts.
Plant 12 to 15 metres apart for an avenue where canopies will eventually meet. Keep them at least 15 metres from buildings, paving and services.
It is highly adaptable, tolerating heavy clay, loam and moderately alkaline soils. Deep soil with reasonable drainage gives the best long-term growth.
Acer rubrum 'Fairview Flame' combines brilliant scarlet autumn foliage with the fastest growth of the commonly grown red maples, which removes the usual wait before an avenue starts to read. The symmetrical upright habit needs no formative pruning to hold its shape.
'Fairview Flame' grows to 12 to 15 metres tall and 8 to 10 metres wide at 45 to 75 centimetres per year, developing a strong central leader and evenly spaced branching. That structural consistency is why it is a standard specification for streetscapes and civic avenue planting.
'Fairview Flame' is frost hardy, surviving heavy and frequent frost without damage, and colours most intensely where autumn nights are cold. It grows in full sun and prefers deep moist soil, tolerating wetter ground better than most maples.
About Acer rubrum 'Fairview Flame'
'Fairview Flame' reaches 12 to 15 metres tall and 8 to 10 metres wide with an upright symmetrical canopy. It is slightly larger and more upright than 'Autumn Red'.
'Fairview Flame' grows faster and taller with a more upright symmetrical habit, while 'Autumn Red' is slightly smaller and more rounded. Both colour brilliant scarlet in autumn.
It grows at 45 to 75 centimetres per year, making it one of the faster red maple selections and a practical choice where an avenue is needed within a reasonable timeframe.
Foliage turns brilliant scarlet through autumn and holds well before dropping. Colour is most intense in cool districts with cold autumn nights.
Yes. It survives heavy and frequent frost without damage and performs reliably in cold tablelands and inland districts.
Very little. The symmetrical upright form develops naturally. Remove crossing or damaged wood in winter, but formative pruning is not required.
Plant 8 to 10 metres apart for a continuous avenue, and keep trees at least 10 metres from buildings, paving and underground services.
Platanus x acerifolia, the London Plane, is one of the world's great avenue trees, prized for its bold maple-like foliage, mottled bark, and exceptional resilience. The bark flakes away in patches to reveal cream, olive and grey tones, while the broad canopy of large lobed leaves casts dense, generous summer shade.
London Plane grows to 20-30 metres tall and 15-20 metres wide with a canopy that starts pyramidal in youth and matures into a wide rounded crown. The substantial size makes it best suited to large gardens, parks, streetscapes, and grand avenues where it has room to develop its full stature.
London Plane is famous for thriving where other trees fail. It tolerates pollution, compacted soil, heat, and heavy pruning, which is exactly why it is one of the most planted street trees in major cities worldwide. It is fully deciduous, dropping golden-brown foliage in winter to reveal the sculptural branching and mottled bark.
About Platanus x acerifolia London Plane Tree
Platanus x acerifolia grows to 20-30 metres tall and 15-20 metres wide with a broad spreading canopy.
London Plane is fast-growing, adding 1-1.5 metres per year once established.
London Plane is one of the world's most planted street trees thanks to its exceptional tolerance of pollution, compacted soil, heat, and heavy pruning. It is a defining avenue tree in many major cities.
London Plane has highly ornamental mottled bark that flakes away in patches to reveal cream, olive, and grey tones, providing strong year-round visual interest.
Yes. London Plane is fully deciduous. Large maple-like leaves turn golden-brown in autumn before dropping in winter to reveal the sculptural branching and mottled bark.
London Plane is best suited to large gardens, parks, streetscapes, and avenues due to its mature size. It is too large for most small suburban blocks.
Plant 6-10 metres apart for a full canopy avenue, depending on the desired density and the space available.
Zelkova serrata, the Japanese Zelkova, is a large deciduous shade tree with an upright trunk that divides into a broad, spreading vase of branches. The serrated green leaves turn yellow, orange and bronze in autumn, and the smooth grey bark flakes in patches to show orange underneath.
It grows 12 to 18 metres tall and 10 to 15 metres wide, and can reach 30 metres in ideal conditions, adding roughly 40 to 60 centimetres a year. Full sun and a deep soil suit it best. It is frost hardy, handles heat, wind and urban air, and is drought tolerant once established.
This is a street, park and large garden tree, planted for shade, avenue work and civic projects where an elm form is wanted without the disease risk. It needs genuine room, so set it out on its mature spread rather than its nursery size. On the right site it is a fifty year asset.
About Japanese Zelkova
Zelkova serrata is a deciduous tree from Japan, Korea and eastern China, in the elm family. It carries a short trunk and a broad vase shaped crown of fine, serrated leaves, and is widely planted as a shade and street tree. Unlike the true elms it is highly resistant to Dutch elm disease.
It reaches 12 to 18 metres tall and 10 to 15 metres wide in cultivation, and can get to 30 metres in ideal conditions with deep soil and no competition. Plan the planting position on the upper figures rather than the lower ones, because a mature specimen carries a very substantial canopy.
Deciduous. The tree carries fresh green foliage through spring and summer, colours to yellow, orange and bronze in autumn, then stands bare through winter. That bare period lets winter sun through to buildings and paths below, which is one reason it is favoured for streets, car parks and the northern side of houses.
Moderate, at around 40 to 60 centimetres a year once established. Young trees in good soil with regular water push along faster, then the rate settles as the canopy broadens. It is quicker than an oak and slower than a poplar, which is a sensible pace for a tree meant to last.
The roots are relatively well behaved for a tree of this size, but the trunk flare and surface roots will lift paving if planted too close. Allow at least 4 to 5 metres from slabs, kerbs and footings, and more where the soil is shallow. Avoid planting directly over sewer and stormwater lines.
It does well through cool and temperate Australia, including Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney, the tablelands and Tasmania, and it is reliable in inland towns with hot dry summers provided it is watered while young. Autumn colour is strongest where the nights turn cold. It is not suited to the wet tropics.
Water deeply and regularly for the first two or three summers, then it manages on rainfall in most districts. Mulch out to the drip line and keep the mulch off the trunk. Formative pruning in the first few years sets a single leader and good branch spacing. Established trees need very little attention.
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Tilia cordata, the small leaved lime or little leaf linden, is a large deciduous shade tree with an upright, symmetrical and roughly pyramidal crown. The dark green leaves are heart shaped and neatly toothed, turning clear golden yellow in autumn. Fragrant pale yellow flowers hang beneath the foliage in summer.
It grows 15 to 20 metres tall and 8 to 12 metres wide over time, adding 30 to 60 centimetres a year. Cool temperate climates suit it best and it is fully frost hardy. It accepts a wide range of soils, tolerates urban pollution and copes with moderate drought once established.
It is planted as an avenue tree, in parks and along streets where a formal, even canopy is wanted, and it takes pleaching or clipping into a raised hedge on stilts. Allow room for the mature spread. Few deciduous trees give this much shade with such a predictable, tidy shape.
About Small-Leaved Lime
Tilia cordata is a European deciduous tree, known as small leaved lime in Britain and little leaf linden in North America. It has no connection to citrus limes. It is grown for its dense, symmetrical canopy, its heart shaped foliage and the scented flowers that bees work heavily through summer.
Mature trees reach 15 to 20 metres in height with a canopy 8 to 12 metres across, so this is a tree for parks, streets and larger properties rather than a suburban courtyard. Growth is steady at 30 to 60 centimetres a year, so it takes decades to reach full size. Plan spacing around the final width.
Deciduous. Leaves emerge fresh green in spring, deepen through summer, turn golden yellow in autumn and drop for winter. That cycle is part of the appeal in avenue planting, giving shade in summer and winter sun through the bare canopy. The branch structure is neat and symmetrical, so the tree still reads well when leafless.
Flowering is in summer, generally December and January, with small fragrant pale yellow flowers hanging in clusters beneath a papery bract. The scent carries on still evenings and the flowers are worked heavily by bees. Small round nutlets follow. Trees usually need to be well established before they flower freely.
It is a cool climate tree and performs best in Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT, the southern tablelands of New South Wales, the Adelaide Hills and cooler parts of south western Western Australia. It wants a genuine winter chill. Subtropical and tropical regions are unsuitable, and hot dry inland sites need irrigation.
Yes. It is one of the standard species for pleaching, where the canopy is trained flat on a frame above a clear trunk to make a hedge on stilts. It also clips into a formal block. Both treatments need annual pruning in winter to hold the shape and keep growth even along the frame.
Water deeply through the first three summers and mulch a wide root zone. Formative pruning in the early years builds a strong central leader and evenly spaced branches. After that, prune in winter while dormant to remove crossing limbs and basal suckers, which this species produces freely. Mature trees need little beyond suckering and deadwood removal.
