Green Avenue Weeping Lilly Pilly

Green Avenue Weeping Lilly Pilly (Waterhousea floribunda 'Green Avenue') is an Australian native tree with a soft weeping habit, selected for uniform shape so a row reads as a matched set. In a garden it grows to about 8m tall and 4m wide, holding a dense curtain of glossy foliage to the ground, which makes it one of the most graceful large screens you can plant. It is fast, bird friendly and tolerant of wet ground.

Why you'll love it

• A screen with movement. The weeping foliage sways rather than sitting as a clipped wall, so a boundary reads as a soft green curtain.
• Uniform by selection. This form was chosen for consistency, so avenues and long screens grow even instead of ragged.
• Fast native cover. A quick growing Australian native with creamy white flowers that bring birds in.
• Takes wet feet. It tolerates heavy and periodically wet soil, the low corner that kills fussier screening plants.
• Little upkeep. Wind tolerant, comfortable in humidity and genuinely low maintenance once away.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 1.5m apart for a dense screen. At that spacing the weeping canopies knit into continuous cover while each tree stays furnished to the base.

Driveways and avenues. The uniform habit is what an avenue needs. Space trees more generously along a drive so each canopy keeps its weeping outline.

Feature and shade planting. A single lawn tree casts cool shade and gives the garden a soft focal point that moves in the wind.

Growing Green Avenue Weeping Lilly Pilly in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the densest curtain. It belongs to tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens and tolerates light frost only, so in cold inland or southern districts it is the wrong tree. Protect young plants through their first winters.

Soil. More forgiving than most. It handles heavier soils and wet patches, though it establishes fastest in a bed improved with compost and mulched well.

Water and feed. Keep the root zone moist through the first two summers; after that it looks after itself in most east coast conditions. A controlled release native fertiliser in spring and late summer keeps the foliage deep green.

Pruning. Tip prune young trees to thicken them, then trim lightly to hold size. It can be kept as a tall clipped hedge, but avoid hard shearing if you want the weeping character that makes it special.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow Green Avenue in six sizes: 300mm and 400mm pots as young trees, then advanced 45L, 75L, 100L and 200L stock carrying real height and a formed weeping head on day one. The smaller sizes are the value way to plant a long screen; the advanced sizes buy back years.

Trees travel upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect a settling month, then quick growth in warm weather, backed by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the complete weeping lilly pilly care guide before planting day.
• Compare screening natives in the lilly pilly collection.
• Weigh up alternatives in hedging and screening plants.
• Learn how to plan a lilly pilly privacy screen.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

Plant 1.5m apart in a single row. The canopies meet within a few seasons and the screen stays dense from the ground up.

How tall will it really get?

About 8m in a suburban garden. On creek banks in habitat the species reaches 15m or more, but garden conditions hold it well below that, and trimming holds it lower again.

Will it cope with a wet corner of the block?

Yes. It is one of the few premium screening trees that tolerates wet feet, so a low spot that drowns other hedges suits it.

Can I grow it in Melbourne or frosty districts?

It tolerates light frost only, so it is marginal in cold temperate gardens. In frosty inland or southern districts choose a hardier screen; in mild coastal gardens it thrives.