Golden Penda (Xanthostemon)

How to choose a golden penda

The Golden Penda is the species: a dense, evergreen tree that usually reaches eight to twelve metres in gardens, smaller in cooler districts. It makes a good shade or screening tree and flowers heavily once settled. It is also offered as an advanced, field grown tree that is dug to order, for those who want size from the start.

The named forms are selected for a smaller habit. The Fairhill Gold Golden Penda is a well known selection that stays more compact than the species and flowers freely. The Little Goldie Golden Penda and the Little Penda Golden Penda are dwarf forms sold for small gardens, low hedges and containers. Mature size varies between them, so check the details on each product page against the space you have.

Where golden penda grows

This is a tree for the tropics and subtropics. It thrives from Cairns and Darwin down through Brisbane and the Gold Coast to the north coast of New South Wales, and it grows in warm, sheltered gardens as far south as Sydney, where it is slower and smaller. It is frost tender, especially when young, and is not suited to cold inland or southern districts. Give it full sun for the heaviest flowering, shelter from strong cold wind and soil that holds moisture but drains.

For more plants of this kind see our Australian native trees, flowering trees and plants for tropical climates.

Planting and spacing

Plant in spring or summer into soil improved with compost. Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball, set the plant at the level it grew in the pot, water in well and mulch thickly. As a screen, space the species three to four metres apart; as single shade trees, allow six metres or more. Space the dwarf forms about a metre apart for a hedge, or closer for a low border.

Care basics

Golden penda comes from high rainfall country and responds to water. Water deeply and regularly through the first two years and during dry spells after that, particularly in the lead up to flowering. Keep a layer of mulch over the roots. Feed in spring and late summer with a native plant fertiliser.

Prune lightly after flowering to keep the crown dense. Compact forms take regular light trimming and can be shaped as a hedge. Yellow leaves with green veins on new growth can be a sign of iron deficiency in alkaline soil. Our golden penda guide has more on flowering and care.

Common questions

When does golden penda flower?

The main display is usually in late summer and autumn, with flushes at other times in warm climates, often after good rain.

How big does golden penda grow?

The species usually reaches eight to twelve metres in gardens and can grow taller in the tropics. The named compact forms are much smaller.

Can golden penda grow in a pot?

The dwarf forms suit large pots in a sunny spot, with regular water and feeding. The species is a tree and belongs in the ground.

Will golden penda grow in Sydney or Melbourne?

It grows in warm, frost free, sheltered positions in Sydney, though more slowly than in Queensland. Melbourne and other cool climates are generally too cold for it outdoors.