PODOCARPUS elatus (Brown Pine)

Brown Pine (Podocarpus elatus) is the native conifer for a dark, dense, formal screen that will not run away from you. Left alone it makes a shade tree of around 10m tall and 5m wide, but it is very slow growing, so it is just as often held at 3m to 4m as a clipped hedge. This one is supplied ex ground as a field grown specimen at 6.5m to 7m.

Why you'll love it

• Slow growth is the point. A hedge that puts on very little each year is one you trim twice a season, not every six weeks.
• Dense to the ground. Fine dark green foliage on an upright frame, so a screen reads solid rather than gappy at the base.
• Native, and edible. This is the Illawarra plum, whose fleshy purple black fruit is a genuine bush food.
• Roots that behave. The root system is non-invasive, so it suits a boundary close to paving, paths and services.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 2m apart for a dense screen. At that spacing the canopies knit while each plant still gets light to the base.

Shade tree. Left untrimmed it makes a dark canopy at around 10m, with a clean trunk if you lift the lower branches.

Coastal gardens. Salt and wind tolerant, so it holds form on exposed blocks where finer hedging plants brown off.

Growing brown pine in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun or partial shade, and it is one of the few screening plants that stays dense in shade. This is a tree for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland and cool southern gardens are out.

Soil. Most soils suit it provided they drain. It came out of rainforest margins, so it appreciates depth and organic matter, but not a waterlogged site.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first two summers, which matters more than usual for a transplanted tree this size. After that it is drought tolerant. Feed a native fertiliser once in early spring.

Pruning. It clips well and holds a crisp edge. Two trims a year, after the spring flush and again in late summer, keep a hedge at 3m to 4m. For a tree, lift the lower branches over a few seasons.

What to expect when it arrives

This is a mature specimen, 6.5m to 7m tall. At that height you are buying a finished tree or an instant screen, which is the only sensible way to get a plant this slow at this size.

Trees this size need machinery and clear access, so arrange that before delivery day. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost with specialist transport, delivered Australia wide and our 30 day healthy plant guarantee. Expect a quiet first year while the root system rebuilds.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read how to create a great hedge and keep it sharp.
• Browse the full ex ground trees range.
• Compare other hedging and screening plants.
• See more Australian native trees.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

2m apart in a single row. Tighter spacing will not close the screen any faster, and it makes each plant compete for water and light for life.

How fast does it grow?

Slowly, which is exactly why an advanced specimen costs what it does. In return you get a hedge that stays at the height you set it.

Can you eat the fruit?

Yes. The swollen purple black stalk below the seed is sweet and edible, and sold commercially as Illawarra plum. The seed itself is not eaten, and birds usually clear the crop first.

What does ex ground mean, and when should it go in?

It means the tree was grown in a field, then dug and lifted with a root ball when ordered. Plant it promptly, stake it against wind while it anchors, and water deeply through the first two summers.