Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jan 14, 2010 10:38 am I came across this while searching for small trees - can't recall seeing it before, so I'm wondering how it would go in Melbourne? The blurb here says that it occurs from Fraser Island to Flinders Island, which is pretty wide range of climates. http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2002/elaeocarpus-reticulatus.html Looks very pretty! The website also says this: Described as either a small tree or tall shrub, this evergreen species grows between 3-15m tall and 3-5m wide. It has a dense crown of foliage, and an approximately conical form. It needs little maintenance to thrive, surviving well in low nutrient and dry soils (although it performs best when well watered). This species grows in a range of light intensities, from shade through to full sun. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Problems? Pests? Anything potential buyers should know? ....Anyone? Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 2Jan 14, 2010 10:45 am I just answered my own question about availability - Hedlen Landscapes distribute them. And I found PLEACHED specimens. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ These might be just what I need for along my back fence - providing greenery to look at, plus shade, but not blocking the path we're putting in. Looking at the price though, I might have to go for a smallish size and do the shaping myself. Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 3Jan 14, 2010 11:31 am A new plant has entered my head and I delved into my garden library behind me for it The great Stirling Macoboy writes, Quote: Was there ever a more charming small tree to compliment a shady, shrubby garden? ... The Quandong Derr Fu Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 4Jan 14, 2010 12:00 pm Hmm.... apparently in the right conditions, it can grow to 30m. So far, opinions I've read seem to indicate that it stays fairly small in Melbourne. Maybe not the tree for my situation though. I only have 2-2.5m of width to work with, and there'll be a path running down the middle, so the garden bed is going to be pretty narrow. It is beautiful though. Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 6Jan 15, 2010 9:53 pm This is one of the 3 trees that our landscape guidelines have for us to choose from (the other 2 are Cupaniopsis anacardiodes and Tristaniopsis laurina). A lady down the road from us has 2 in her yard.... they are MASSIVE. They drop a lot of fruit and the flowers can break up and get through the flyscreens... but they are very beautiful trees. I'm sure most of the problems she has from them is because they are so big. So how do you keep them small? Is that a really stoopid question? Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 7Jan 16, 2010 6:48 am Apart from some serious pruning?? I gather that location has a huge bearing on how big they grow. From what I read, in Melbourne they seem to stay pretty small, while in NSW rainforests they can be massive. If I had a bigger yard, I'd grow one, but the spot I was thinking of for them is right near the clothesline. Berry stains....clean washing....I think not. Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 8Jan 16, 2010 10:37 am Hi Kek, I have one of these in my front garden, but the "pink form" My one is only meant to grow to 4-6m tall and 3-4m wide. I will post a photo if you are interested? I bought ours at bunnings for $30 but saw them at the nursery for $65 (they were all the same size too!) The flowers are really beautiful Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 9Jan 16, 2010 10:45 am Flissfloss Hi Kek, I have one of these in my front garden, but the "pink form" My one is only meant to grow to 4-6m tall and 3-4m wide. I will post a photo if you are interested? I bought ours at bunnings for $30 but saw them at the nursery for $65 (they were all the same size too!) The flowers are really beautiful Ooh, yes please Flissfloss!! A photo would be great! I am still looking for a tree for a shady corner. Well, it's not shady NOW, but you know what I mean.... Anything I plant has to not have an invasive root system (if such a tree exists), because no matter where I put it, it'll be close to the house. And probably to the sewer as well. Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 10Jan 16, 2010 1:05 pm Here is the photo kek, no flowers at the moment but a whole lot ready to open very shortly. When i first got it i bought it because of the flowers http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af207/XflissflossX/House%20Miscellaneous/465.jpg] I was also going to trim the branches from the bottom and make it more "tree" like i guess but thought i would give it time to adjust first!! (My DH calls it the girly tree when it is in flower ) This would be about 1.2m tall now i guess? Hope it helps Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 11Jan 16, 2010 1:20 pm You just need a small tree. ie. 5-8 metres is what would be classified as a small tree. You'd be hard pressed to ever find a tree that grows smaller. They are generally large shrubs under that. Forrest Pansy and Jap maple would be twio straight off my head that are exceptions. What isn't well understood os tree roots and there is plenty of research being done on these to better understand trees as a whole. There is very little known in comparison to what we know about the stuff we can see. Those rocket pots is one example of something coming out of tree root research. Trees and plants are very lazy, like very lazy. They will grow not to find or seek water (they can't do that) but travel the easiest path. That will be the softer soil along where trenches have been dug and if the wrong tree is chosen, some damage to utilities can happen. Overall the trees I have mentioned in many of my posts will be hassle free. The chap who is the head aborist at Kings Park says that having a small tree with in a few metres or (even less) of a home is no real threat to house foundations or walls. Get the wrong species in though and there are problems. They are unlikely to have roots grow under the slab because that area is so well compacted in comparison to the area of gardens and soil etc surrounding. It's too much hard work Know where your lines are located, avoid planting on boundaries (trees that is) and choose trees that are small (5-8metres) Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 12Jan 16, 2010 2:17 pm Thanks Fu....might be back to the old Japanese Maple then. My husband will be happy; it's his favourite tree. Actually, it's probably the only tree he knows. I'm a bit paranoid about tree roots because the couple who originally lived next door to us 22 years ago planted a bloody great gum tree hard against our boundary fence. Of course the roots worked their way under our brick paving and we ended up with an uneven mess. We also had Chilean Pencil Willows along the rear of our block (my fault, what did I know about trees...?) and the roots invaded and blocked our sewer. I don't like plumbing bills. I'm now thinking that climbers trained up the fence, with some taller screens here and there may be the go for the rear boundary here. We really don't have much room and I need some shade and privacy, not to mention a nice green view. I'll keep investigating shrubs to about 4m tall. Thanks for the pic Flissfloss...I think it's my new favourite tree. Just maybe not for my back yard. Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 13Jan 16, 2010 2:27 pm well all those are examples of the wrong trees and in the wrong places. Trees are not for fence line planting Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 14Jan 16, 2010 2:34 pm I find climbers very hard to use with reliable effect. You will find they tend to be messy and develop growth up high but not down lower after a few years. Of course there are exceptions but overall that is what is often the result. I'd be selecting shrubs to 3 or 4m and under pruning them to get a tree shape or just creating narrow hedges which will look much much better in years to come than any other option. The width a shrub grows is irrelevant of the width you can keep them clipped to. The heights are the key and even then, you can hedge something far lower than they can potentially grow Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 15Jan 16, 2010 2:38 pm Fu Manchu well all those are examples of the wrong trees and in the wrong places. Trees are not for fence line planting No. They are not. Shrubs it is then.... I can never make up my mind. One minute I like one thing, then I like something else. I think I'll wait till I'm ready to plant, then go see what I like at the nursery. At least I have a few ideas to work with. At least I can have my maple - that'll make a nice feature, viewed from the entertaining area. And I might keep the climbers for along the blind side of the house - we can see the top of the fence from the lounge windows, so they'd work there. I'm happy to prune! Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 16Jan 17, 2010 3:54 pm Funny thing, I've just been to a local nursery and there were Blueberry Ashes everywhere, all sizes! I must walk around with my eyes closed.... Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 17Jan 17, 2010 4:13 pm kek Shrubs it is then.... I can never make up my mind. One minute I like one thing, then I like something else. You should see what happens in my mind!!!! I have books and books of info wandering my mind and then there's what is out and about in the bush and nurseries. They all come together to form the ideas I get There is always a plant for someone somewhere. I especially love WA plants and sort of Australian plants ( ) because of the amazing potential we have with them Hundreds of years of cultivation of exotic species and knowledge and just maybe 20 or 30 years of breeding and cultivating in a semi serious manner out incredible Australian plants. If we don't get interested in them, let me tell you guys that the rest of the world wants to embrace our plants more than us WA is like the end of the rainbow for much of the future market of Aussie plants. kanga paws and gero waxes are some excellent examples of newish bred Aussie plants being accepted by us in our landscapes. The stuff going on with cross breeding Verticordias and Gero waxes looks set to develop some amazing flowering shrubs this crossed with a Gero wax will as an example create an incredible flower Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Just amazing to see right now so much possibility Australia wide so many choices Kek Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 18Jan 17, 2010 4:34 pm I was purposely ONLY looking at natives today, and still couldn't make up my mind. Of course, the nurseries are mainly filled with the same old stuff - mostly lilly pillies of one kind or another. I did see Agonis Flexuosa, which might work as a screen, if it doesn't mind some fairly serious pruning. I'm still considering having a go at pleaching. There were plenty of plants with nice straight trunks. And then I could put a low hedge of correas below.... I could use C. Alba, like I have in the front garden, but I'm thinking maybe a coloured flower would be nice. Dusky Bells is gorgeous. Hmm. Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 19Jan 17, 2010 11:36 pm Yeah the C. alba is a much bigger sprawling form of Correa. The dusky bells is so well suited to low formal hedges that crap on traditional hedging species and provide a super flower show once tightly clipped The Agonis flex are messy buggers and look a bit average clipped. The cous' "jeddas dream" is better to chose for this purpose. For pleaching you are best to start with much smaller plants than those pictured. 200mm pot size is ideal. Re: Anyone grown this: Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)? 20Jan 18, 2010 5:57 am Thanks, Fu... saw some 200mm pots. I'll look out for Jedda's dream. That's if I don't change my mind again next week. Wish you all the best. Once you signed the contract, they will find millions excuses to charge you. 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