Ooh you know it’s getting cooler when you need to put your robe on just to go outside to look at the garden in the morning. Leaves will be changing colour soon and it may be time for a trip to the mountains to see the show. Now’s the perfect time to see which tree takes your fancy for an autumn display. And they don’t all have to be huge trees. Here’s a few small to medium sized feature trees I like;

An architectural tree with wayward reaching branches. Up to 10 high with shades of green, orange and red in autumn.

 

Not only does this 5m x 5m tree have dark purple heart-shaped foliage most of the year but displays yellow and orange throughout autumn.

A vase-shaped Japanese maple. Up to 6m with iridescent new growth especially in winter and added golden yellow to apricot during autumn display.

 

An upright form of flowering plum that has dark crimson foliage that deepens in a sunny position. Leaf drop reveals an attractive columnar habit.  6m high by 2m wide and fabulous pink flowers in spring.

 

 

 

If your citrus is looking a bit washed out or yellow its probably time for a feed. In fact they like to be fed around four times a year. Citrus are greedy plants, and feed like insatiable teenage boys. But unlike the boys that will probably take whatever they’re given, citrus like to mix it up a bit when it comes to meals. So this means alternating your fertiliser regime, for example once with dynamic lifter, the next time with a slow release citrus food. I like Organic Life too. And yes these products are a bit on the nose but this usually disappears after a day or two.

 

When feeding, scrape away mulch then put down the fertiliser then re-cover and water well. Citrus have shallow feeding roots so they appreciate a good layer of mulch over the top to prevent them drying out. I really like sugar cane mulch or even tea tree and they both break down quite well to add organic matter to the soil, rather than those larger woodchips. Treat potted citrus the same way and remember that more watering will mean juicier fruit and a healthier plant in general. Water every other day and water deeply. Oh and don’t grow grass up to the trunk of your fruit tree, it’ll just compete for water and nutrients, always clear a circle around the plant to mulch.

 

 

Have you ever seen those giant ‘beans’ in pots sprouting a forest of lime green saplings? Well, these are nifty little point of sale items that won’t stay that size forever. They’re the Australian Black bean tree or Castanospermum australe. They resemble something out of Jack And The Beanstalk, and they get that big as well! Kept in the little trough they’re bought in they will be stunted to around 40cm, then eventually become pot-bound, but don’t be tempted to plant these lovely rainforest trees in your backyard unless you have a bit of room as they reach 15m in height. Just like puppies, they don’t stay small forever…

 

And on that note, the topiary/lollypop-styled weeping fig, another popular indoor feature, should never be transplanted out of its pot into the ground. Even with regularly pruning the root ball of this rainforest tree is still invasive, finding its way into stormwater and even sewerage pipes, lifting pavement and perhaps damaging walling nearby. Eventually reaching 30m in height, it’s really best for parks, large acreages and perhaps for you a nice large wine barrel to pot it up into.