Growing the business: Emaho Trees

For Barbara and James McGeoch, growing and exporting trees is a labour of love.

Barbara and James McGeoch at their property, Emaho Trees, in Queensland. Picture: Kim Woods Rabbidge

Barbara and James McGeoch love trees. They’ve grown them for nearly 40 years, specialising in advanced specimens for major projects across Australia and overseas.

The McGeoch's house on the 16ha property in Queensland. Picture: Kim Woods Rabbidge

After selling Birkdale Nursery, their business of 25 years, the couple established Emaho Trees in 2002 on a 16ha property in the scenic ranges 150km west of Brisbane. Named Emaho after a Tibetan word meaning wonderful, the property combines a tree farm, home and beautiful 2ha garden.

The pair have formidable energy despite being well into their seventies. While James has focused on his international landscaping business, working on high-profile projects in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Macau and Japan, Barbara has run the tree farm and managed the complicated business of exporting advanced trees around the world. The couple are also passionate about sustainable farming practices; Emaho Trees was the first farm in Australia to achieve B Corp certification for its positive social and environmental performance.

Barbara and James McGeoch's property Emaho Trees in Queensland. Picture: Kim Woods Rabbidge

Set at an elevation of 750m, the place has a benign climate, rich volcanic soil, decent rainfall and night mists. “It means we can grow trees for a wide range of climates,” says Barbara. While they focus on native trees, camellias and magnolias are also a specialty. The trees are grown in-ground, starting with seedlings in 100mm tubes. “Up until four years ago I planted every tree on this farm,” Barbara says. “The root system is so important, right from the beginning. Growing in the ground, with regular root pruning, their roots are never restricted like in pots,” she explains. When the trees are sold – at 4m to 12m tall – they are dug out with giant “tree spades” and prepared for transporting and replanting. “If a mature tree doesn’t have a good root system it can blow over or fail, and that’s a very expensive process to replace it,” says Barbara.

Emaho Trees in Queensland. Picture: Supplied

When the McGeochs bought the former dairy farm, it had few trees. They planted hundreds of tubestock natives around the edges, then started on the gardens, with Barbara planting each weekend for two years before the house was built. The garden is designed so the open landscape vista blurs into the tree farm, while keeping the private area separate from the business.

The garden’s aesthetic is Asian. Picture: Kim Woods Rabbidge

Reflecting James’ decades in China, the garden’s aesthetic is Asian, with feng shui principles evident in the driveway planting of slender weavers bamboo that forms a protective enclosure. The couple planted semi-mature trees such as crabapples, Japanese maples, ornamental pears, golden and claret ash, as well as thousands of camellias and azaleas in sweeping masses and hedges. On the bank in front of the house, bands of green Metrosideros ‘Little Dugald’ contrast against burgundy Loropetalum ‘Bobz Red’ and a groundcover planting of Grevillea ‘Royal Mantle’. Vibrant canna lilies, daylilies and irises form a river of colour down the valley in what James calls his “lily stream”. More recently, they’ve added a 14m-long wisteria bower and a large pond amid the lilies.

“We’re working harder than ever but we love it,” Barbara laughs. “Retirement would be boring; working with a purpose keeps you vibrant and full of life.”

Emaho Trees. Picture: Kim Woods Rabbidge

Q&A

Total enclosure seems to be the best method of protecting tomatoes from fruit flies, but what’s the best material? Would plastic deprive the plants of sufficient sun and ventilation?Jonathon Rees, by email

Plastic materials would not allow any ventilation, causing problems with fungal diseases and temperature control. You need to buy special mesh or gauze exclusion fabric that keeps fruit flies and other pests out but allows air, water, foliar fertiliser and enough sun to penetrate. Net fabrics sold by the metre can be cut to size and installed over DIY or ready-made frames, and should last for years. You can also buy bags and sleeves to tie around fruit clusters, or make your own muslin bags. Greenharvest.com.au is a good source. Tomatoes do not need pollinating insects so there’s no problem with excluding them.

Should I remove the budding fruits from my young apple trees?

Gareth Rees, Taylors Lakes, Vic

For any young fruit tree it’s recommended to remove any fruits for the first year or two, so all the tree’s energy goes into developing a strong framework of roots and branches.

My large and healthy potted feijoa flowers beautifully but I never get fruit. Why?Pauline McGrath, Perth

You need a named fruiting variety, not the usual seed-grown plants that rarely fruit reliably. Feijoas – AKA pineapple guavas – also crop better with cross-pollination from a second tree. It’s not just the fruit that’s edible, though; the crimson and white petals are sweet and tasty.

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 12-month subscription to ABC Gardening Australia and ABC Organic Gardener magazines, worth $109; abcmagazines.com.au.