Trees are one of the main structures of the garden. They are available in a range from tall growing to small, bushy types.

Evergreen varieties provide constant shade for smaller shade loving shrubs and ground covers. Planted in the correct position they will give ideal shade for buildings protecting the walls from summer heat. Trees create wind breaks and shelter birds which live in the surrounding area.

Deciduous trees are ideal for shade in the summer for both the garden and buildings. They will allow the winter sun and light to penetrate through the branches permitting light to enter into buildings and saving on the cost of electricity.

We have listed shrubs and trees together in one group to avoid confusion, ground covers and creepers are listed separately.

OPEN ROOTED TREES (Winter Planting)
When selecting bare rooted Trees make sure that both the bud union and the stems are healthy and strong. There should be no withered dry stems or long, soft, yellow shoots appearing along the branches.

DECIDUOUS FRUIT TREES
There is nothing like home grown fruit that is picked fresh from your very own deciduous varieties of fruit trees.
The most often question asked is, how fresh is this fruit or I wonder what type of chemicals have been sprayed on them. Growing your own fruit trees means that you are in control of which chemicals are used during the growing and ripening of the fruit. Please note that maturity times are for Adelaide, S.A.

COOKING from the FRUIT TREE GARDEN
A selection of recipes you can make using fresh grown fruit from your garden.

DECIDUOUS ORNAMENTALS
Most people tend to rush into a Garden Centre or Nursery in the middle of the winter to select their Autumn foliage trees.

HERE ARE A FEW TIPS:
Next Autumn, take a walk through the hills and look at the coloured foliage of trees that suit you and if you are able, take some leaves in a plastic bag to a Garden Centre or Nursery and have them identified. Then when its time to plant the varieties you like, you should have the correct names to make a selection.
Walk around your neighbourhood and see which trees will do best in your area, this way you will save a lot of heartache from trees dying or having them removed years later on. Be sure to ask the height and the spread of the trees from an gardening expert before purchasing them. Trees can be very expensive to remove once they have reached a certain height.

Picture of Betula pendula 'Youngii' above on left.

REMEMBER Once you have planted the tree and it has grown to a large size it will be very expensive to remove later on in the future.

CONTAINER GROWN TREES (For planting all the year round)
Trees and shrubs can be bought in advanced sizes ready for the home gardener to plant out.

Trees and shrubs grown in containers can be planted at any time of the year providing that the weather is not extremely hot and they are kept well watered. The average person will plant an advanced tree or shrub and forget that it needs a lot more water than one which was growing in an 8 inch container.
Before planting your new tree or shrub make sure the pot plant has been well soaked with water before placing into the prepared hole. It is important that the ball ot the newly planted tree or shrub is kept moist at all times until the new roots move beyond is potted root system into the ground around. It is important that you understand the planting procedure before you proceed.

Go to our fact sheet site and refer to the General Planting Guide for the Garden. This will give you some good hints on container planting.