Bowen Mango Tree

The Bowen Mango (Mangifera indica 'Bowen'), sold interchangeably as Kensington Pride, is the mango most Australians grew up eating and still the benchmark for flavour. A grafted home garden tree settles at around 6m tall and 4m wide, and is easily held at 3m with annual pruning so the fruit stays within reach. Fruit ripens from late spring through summer, deep orange, fibre free and heavily aromatic.

Why you'll love it

• Grafted and self fertile. Grafted trees carry the true variety and crop years earlier than a seedling from a supermarket stone, and one tree sets fruit on its own.
• Manageable in a home garden. One prune a year after harvest holds it at a comfortable 3m picking height.
• Tough, and handsome with it. Heat, humidity and drought tolerant once established, with a dense evergreen canopy that earns its space for eleven months of the year.

Where it works best

The home orchard or backyard. One tree produces more fruit than a household can eat. Site it in the warmest, sunniest, most sheltered part of the yard, clear of paths where fallen fruit becomes a nuisance, and allow 4m of width.

Large pots and courtyards. A 500mm pot or half wine barrel with free draining mix works well, particularly in cooler areas where the tree can move into shelter. Container trees stay smaller and need steadier watering and feeding.

Growing Bowen Mango in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun all day, with shelter from strong wind at flowering. This is a tree for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It is frost tender, so cool inland and southern gardens need a container that can move under cover, or a very warm north facing wall.

Soil. Free draining is the one requirement it will not negotiate, because mangoes hate wet feet. On clay, plant on a mound at least 300mm high with compost worked through, and mulch 75mm deep clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first two summers, then reduce. Ease off through the cool dry months before flowering, because a dry spell triggers a good flower set, then water steadily once fruit has set. Feed a citrus or fruit tree fertiliser in early spring and again after harvest.

Pruning and humidity. Prune straight after harvest, never in late winter or spring when the flower buds are forming. Shorten the leaders to hold the height you want and take out crossing branches. An open canopy also handles anthracnose, the black spotting that turns up on flowers and young fruit in humid summers. The sap can irritate skin, so wear gloves.

What to expect when it arrives

Trees are supplied in 5L and 400mm sizes, both grafted, so the graft union sits as a visible swelling low on the trunk. Keep that union well above soil level and never bury it. The 5L is the economical way in; the 400mm is larger and better branched, and will crop a season or so sooner. A strong flush of bronze new growth follows in warm weather.

Trees are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every tree carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full fruit tree range
• Plant a tropical garden around it
• Find a pot large enough for a fruit tree
• Preparing soil before planting

Common questions

Is Bowen the same thing as Kensington Pride?

Yes. The two names refer to the same variety, named after the Queensland town where it was popularised, and it sells under both.

How long until it fruits?

Usually three to four years from planting for a grafted tree, sometimes sooner on a larger plant. Seedling mangoes can take eight years or more, which is why grafted stock is worth it.

Can I grow one in Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth?

Perth and other warm mediterranean areas succeed in a sheltered sunny spot. In Melbourne, Adelaide and cooler gardens, grow it in a large pot that shifts under cover for winter and accept lighter crops. Frost is the limiting factor, not latitude.