One of the local tree suppliers I know at Treemovals sent through a great incentive to get more trees in the ground. Below are some of the points he raised.

 

There is a growing body of international research,which clearly demonstrates that trees:

 

· Filter air pollutants and provide oxygen that we breathe

· Reduce the urban heat island effect particularly in open air car parks and along city streets, councils and business parks, supermarket, and hardware chains etc.

· Provide us with a connection to nature and the human senses

· Create places for recreation and enjoyment

· Make life more peaceful, relaxed and stress free

· Make urban streets safer.

 

 

 

In addition, shade from tree canopies can reduce energy consumption particularly during warmer months, and cool our suburbs by day and night, making life more comfortable. The nursery industry is currently researching this through collaborations with CSIRO and Universities across Australia.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Do you have a large specimen tree on your property that you want to get rid of but can't quite bring yourself to condemn it to an early death? Well there are other options that may be worth looking into...

 

One of these is contacting your nearest tree transplanters or tree farm. Many of them will be happy to tell you if there is a use or desire for your tree in the industry at the moment. A taste of the current trees being sought after are Frangipanis (pictured), Maples, some species of Magnolia and Canary Islands Date Palms, just to name a few.

 

There are a few things to take into consideration, such as properly identifying the genus and species of your tree. Generally speaking, most advanced natives don’t transplant well. And access to and around the tree in question is also paramount if the removal is going to take place, because of the moving machinery that may need to be brought in, and so that overhead or underground services won't be damaged.

 

Another fantastic option is logging on to www.tradeaplant.com.au  - a site dedicated to the buying and selling of trees and plants of all shapes and sizes. I think of it as the Trading Post of the plant world. It was established many years ago and is available all over Australia. It's free to browse and if you want to list your tree or unwanted plants the cost is 25 dollars with a ‘run-it-till-you-sell-it’ policy. It really is worth having a look.

 

 

 

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.