Our arborists have looked after a lot of trees in Canberra and the region. They have watched species grow, struggle, and thrive across hundreds of Canberra gardens and country gardens and they know a fair bit about which ones are well suited and which ones are likely to cause problems for homeowners. We asked the two of them to share their favourite trees, and why they regard them highly.
Brendan Murphy — Level 8 Arborist brings 35 years in horticulture and 16 years as a qualified arborist, including senior roles managing heritage and urban trees. He’s an ISA Certified Arborist and Master Arborist, holds ISA TRAQ and QTRA certifications, and leads our development-related reporting: DA arborist reports, tree protection planning and construction-phase supervision.
Steve Griffith — Level 5 Arborist has 25 years’ experience as a Level 3 arborist, including years as one of Canberra’s leading climbing arborists. For the past 20 years he’s been assessing and caring for trees across the ACT and region, and is a registered QTRA system user. Steve leads our tree health, risk and diagnostic work, including aerial and invasive inspections, decay testing and disease diagnosis.
Steve’s Picks
Red fruit and flowers of the Strawberry Tree
Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree) An evergreen that gets to around 7m. It’s drought tolerant once established with minimal ongoing watering needed. Steve rates this one for its year-round interest: glossy evergreen foliage, shredding red-brown bark, and a rare overlap of white autumn flowers alongside the previous season’s red fruit. It’s frost hardy once established and tolerant of Canberra’s dry summers and average soils. The trade-off is a slow growth rate and fruit drop that can stain paving underneath, so you might want to keep it away from paths and patios.
Betula pendula ‘Fastigiata’ (Columnar Silver Birch) Steve likes it for the striking white bark, golden autumn colour and predictable, manageable growth to around 8–12 m tall, and narrow spread at just 3–4 m wide, so it fits where space is tight. It likes reliable watering while young, but can cope with less water once established. It likes well-drained soil (heavy clay is a problem) and full sun for the best shape.
Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip Tree) This one needs a big garden. It gets to around 15 m with a similar spread and likes water and well-drained soil. Steve likes this one for its distinctive tulip-shaped flowers in late spring and strong gold autumn colour. It’s a relatively fast-growing tree that provides plenty of shade once it’s mature but it needs a large, open space and consistent water, dropping foliage under drought stress. Not a fit for a small block or a low-water garden.
Brendan’s Picks
Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ (Coral Bark Maple) This is a great choice for smaller gardens. It grows to 6–8 m, spreading 4–5 m, slow growing. It likes regular watering, and is not drought tolerant. Brendan likes the soft feathered leaves and the coral-red young bark which is a genuine feature once the leaves drop. It suits smaller gardens given its refined size, but leaves can scorch in Canberra’s hot, dry summer sun and wind, so it does best with some afternoon shade and planted out of the wind.
Malus floribunda (Japanese Flowering Crabapple) Another good option for small gardens. It grows to 6–10 m with a similar spread and requires water while its establishing. It’s fairly drought tolerant once mature. The masses of soft pink flowers that appear in spring and the small fruit that hang on well into autumn giving a food source for birds make this one of Brendan’s reliable choices. It can be a bit messy when the fruit drops but just rake them up and throw them back under the tree to rot down.
Prunus x yedoensis (Yoshino Cherry) This is a classic spring blossom tree, and Brendan’s go-to for a strong seasonal feature. It needs a decent amount of space and isn’t suited to a small backyard – grows to 9–12 m with a wide-spreading canopy. It likes consistent moisture while establishing and through dry periods. It needs decent room for its canopy to spread and can be prone to borer and aphid issues, so it’s a higher-maintenance choice than some of the others on this list, but the blossom display is hard to match.
Choosing the Right Tree for Your Block
Every tree on this list performs differently depending on soil, aspect, and how much water you’re prepared to commit long-term. Always check the mature height and spread of a tree before you purchase so you know it has enough room to reach its potential and won’t cause problems in your garden or encroach on your neighbours.