Go native: alternatives to the traditional Christmas tree

Looking for an authentic Australian Christmas tree this year? Try these natives.

Pretty in pink: galahs on Ceratopetalum gummiferum. Picture: Alamy

What you call Christmas bush depends on where you live. On the east coast, it’s NSW Christmas bush (Ceratopetalum gummiferum) that we know and love. The true flowers are cream, borne from October into November, and it is the following calyces that enlarge and turn red, making a brilliant display through the Christmas period. They last well in a vase, too.

Around Sydney, these small trees are flowering particularly well this year due to good spring rains. There are some improved forms available, such as ‘Alberys Red’, ‘Red Red Red Christmas’ and dwarf ‘Johanna’s Christmas’, which you might use as a tabletop Christmas tree indoors for a week or so, and then plant out in the garden. Prune straight after the display finishes, reducing by about a third.

Up close: Ceratopetalum gummiferum. Picture: Alamy

Native Christmas bells (Blandfordia) are a little harder to grow, as these perennials are found mostly in damp, acidic, sandy soils. Three species from NSW and one from Tasmania all have clusters of waxy, red-and-yellow bells on slender stems and tough leaves.

On the other side of the continent, the West Australian Christmas tree (Nuytsia) bears fragrant, golden yellow flowers. It is the largest mistletoe in the world, growing parasitically on the roots of other plants and developing into a spectacular 8m-tall tree.

Victorian Christmas bush (Prostanthera lasianthos) is one of the mint bushes, named for their aromatic leaves. This one is a tall shrub to small tree that bears sprays of white to pale mauve flowers, marked with purple and orange spots in the throat.

G’day WA: Nuytsia

In South Australia and Tasmania you might call Bursaria spinosa Christmas bush. It’s an upright, rather prickly shrub loved for its sweet-smelling, profuse sprays of cream flowers. These are highly attractive to butterflies and other insects. The Christmas orchid (Calanthe triplicata) is an evergreen terrestrial orchid, native to Queensland and NSW, and throughout Oceania and Asia. Its showy white flowers on an erect spike, up to 150cm tall, appear in summer from broad, pleated leaves. At home on the shady floor of rainforests, it can be grown in a pot.

Anyone with affiliations across the ditch will know New Zealand Christmas bush (Metrosideros), which they call pohutukawa. The bright red, bottlebrush-like flowers can cover these large shrubs that thrive in coastal conditions.

Two other natives for Christmas colour are worth a mention. The spectacular flower trusses of Eucalyptus ‘Summer Red’ have made it a popular dwarf tree for small gardens, florists selling it as a cut flower in summer, and red kangaroo paws such as ‘Big Red’ and ‘Bush Fury’ can still be flowering in December.

Q&A

What shrubs or climbers would hide a sunny 1.5m-tall brick wall but not make a mess in our pool just 2m away? Richard Faure-Field, Ashmore, Qld As living things, most plants shed something. Clumping palms such as cascade palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum), gingers, elephant’s ears and broad-leafed cordylines are some of the tidiest plants but may burn in hot sun. Consider bird of paradise, cannas, Euphorbia ‘Firesticks’, Nandina ‘Gulf Stream’, Dracaena reflexa, dwarf oleanders, and maybe gardenias. Climbers include bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides), glory bower (Clerodendrum splendens) and stephanotis; these will drop more flowers.

Is it a gardening myth that tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) benefit from some sugar or golden syrup on the crown and water from the top in a trickle? Kevin, Yarraville, Vic Plants manufacture their own sugars (glucose) through photosynthesis. No definitive studies have proven refined sugar solutions will benefit them; in fact they can be detrimental. Sugar water can, however, help cut flowers last longer. Tree fern trunks are essentially a root mass, so watering all over and from the top is beneficial.

What care do I give my new air plants, positioned on an inside wreath? Theresa F, Hunter Valley, NSW Tillandsia species are small bromeliads that capture water and nutrients through their leaves, so can grow without soil. They need bright, indirect light. Mist with water – frequency depends on their microclimate but let them dry out between waterings. Add fertiliser to the misting water each month. Soaking in a bowl of water for two hours occasionally is recommended.

Send your questions to: [e-mail] or Helen Young, PO Box 3098, Willoughby North, NSW 2068. Website: helenyoung.com.au. The best question for December/January wins a Nylex retractable 20m hose reel worth $149.