Fast Growing

Standing in a bare backyard after a new build, or staring at a fence line the previous owner never planted, patience is not much comfort. This collection exists for exactly that moment: plants and trees that put on serious growth every season, so an empty block starts looking like a garden within a year or two rather than a decade.

Set realistic expectations and fast growers will exceed them. In good conditions the quickest species here add 1 metre or more of height a year, with most managing 60 centimetres plus, but that speed depends on how they start. Plant into soil loosened well beyond the rootball, water deeply twice a week through the first summer, and feed in early spring and again in midsummer, because rapid growth burns through nutrients that slow species never need. In the southern states, planting in autumn buys you a whole season of root growth before the first hot spell, and by the second summer most fast growers can largely fend for themselves. Expect to prune more often too, as speed above ground continues after the plant reaches the height you wanted.

• Smaller stock catches up fast: a healthy plant from a 200mm pot often overtakes an advanced one within two seasons.
• Mulch 75 to 100mm deep after planting, kept clear of stems, to hold the moisture rapid growth demands.
• Give vigorous species room at planting time, spacing for the size they will be in three years, not the size in the pot.
• Tip prune early and often so quick vertical growth thickens up instead of turning leggy.

If your real goal is blocking a view, our fast growing plants page approaches this same range from a screening and privacy angle, with spacing advice to match. Two rapid natives worth knowing are covered in our acacia care guide and callistemon care guide, both generous growers that bring birds along for the ride.