Last Sunday’s, National Tree Day marked the 30th anniversary of Australia’s commitment to this community tree-planting event.
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Although this milestone passed with relatively little public attention, it offered a timely reminder of the urgent need to plant and protect more trees as our tree canopy cover continues to dwindle.
Urban areas across the country are facing rising temperatures exaggerated by the heat island effect.
This effect is when built-up areas become hotter than surrounding rural areas.
Roads, roofs, concrete and other hard surfaces absorb heat from the sun during the day and slowly release it back after sunset.
At the same time, fewer trees and green spaces mean less shade and less cooling through water evaporating from leaves and the soil.
This results in the cities and suburbs remaining significantly warmer from one day to the next.
A well-planned tree canopy cover and green infrastructure like parks and gardens can reduce local heat exposure, provide shade and help neighbourhoods become more liveable.
Increasing canopy cover not only reduces the surface and air temperatures, but it also improves air quality, creates more comfortable streets and public spaces, improves mental health, increases property value, supports biodiversity, encourages walking, and cycling which increase community connection and health.
As a community we should be encouraging the development, maintenance and improvement of green spaces in our public spaces and private gardens.
With the wrap up of the bare rooted deciduous ornamental tree season just around the corner, it is a good idea to take advantage of it while you can and make a start on your tree canopy cover.
If you preferred to be planting evergreen trees, now is also a great time to be getting them into the ground in time for them to settle in so they can take advantage of the coming spring growth.
Some smaller evergreen native trees worth considering are like Agonis Burgandy with its weeping, aromatic leaves, deep burgundy new growth, and small white spring flowers.
Growing to 4m high with a very heavy weeping form.
They are quick to establish and very hardy.
The taller growing green leaf form can reach 6m high and wide. Both can be trimmed up to suit their position or left to cascade like a weeping willow.
Eucalyptus Tucker Time Honey Pots is a multi-stemmed small mallee tree with long, narrow grey-green leaves that provide a soft dappled shade.
It’s creamy white flowers that appear in late summer and autumn are high in nectar and are very bird attracting.
Growing to a height of about 3 to 5 metres they are an ideal choice of eucalyptus for home garden.
Eucalyptus torquata, the Coral Gum is a small, highly ornamental evergreen tree from Western Australia.
Known for its long displays of coral-pink flowers that burst from decorative gum nuts during winter through to spring. In our region they can reach about 3 to 6m with an upright clear trunk.
Hakea Francisiana has spectacular deep pink long pointed brush like flowers that mass over the plant in winter and spring.
This quick growing robust plant will grow to 4 metres high and are frost-tolerant and drought resistant.
Suited to a sunny position in good draining soil, they will attract plenty of birds to your garden.
Hakea Stockdale Sensation is an improved variety of the very popular Pin Cushion Hakea, Hakea Laurina.
It still has the unique pin cushion red cream flowers and grows to about the same size, which is about 3m high, but it has a dense weeping habit which makes it a real stand out.
Quick growing but shallow rooted, they are best suited planted among other plants to offer some extra protection from strong winds.
The Ivory Curl Tree, Buckinghamia celsissima is a tree that grows very well in our region. In tropical areas this tree can reach up to 25 metres, but our colder winters seem to keep it to around 6 to 8m.
The main feature of this tree is its long creamy white sweetly fragrant Grevillea looking flowers.
These flowers appear in late spring when the plant is flushed with glossy bronze green leaves which makes them really stand out.
Reasonably quick growing they will often flower in their second year in the ground.
Eucalyptus Little Spotty is a compact, dwarf, cultivar of the Brittle Gum.
Known for its smooth white trunk and mottled, spotted bark it is considered a highly ornamental tree.
It has a rounded canopy of narrow grey-green leaves and produces white flowers from winter to summer.
Growing to only 5 to 8 metres tall, it retains the appearance of a much taller tree.
This is only a small sample of the small to medium native trees that are suitable for the home garden.
If you are thinking of increasing the tree canopy in your garden be sure to call in and have a look at the full range available as there are plenty to choose from.
Callistemon bottle brush, Wilga trees, Stenocarpus wheel of fire, Brachychiton flame trees and the Water Gum Tristaniopsis laurina 'Luscious are just some of the others worth considering.