CALODENDRON capense (Cape Chestnut)

Cape Chestnut (Calodendrum capense) is a shade tree that earns its place twice: a broad canopy for most of the year, then heads of pink and white flowers held above the foliage in late spring and early summer. It reaches 20m in habitat but settles around 10m tall and 8m wide in an Australian garden. These are ex ground trees, field grown to 4.5m or more before lifting, so you are buying scale that a potted tree takes a decade to reach.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers at canopy height. Large pink and white heads sit on top of the tree where they read from the street, not hidden inside the foliage.
• Genuine shade. A rounded canopy near 8m across covers a lawn or a driveway turning circle.
• Instant scale. Ex ground stock arrives at 4.5m to 6m, so a bare block looks established from the first season.
• Feeds the garden. The flowers pull in bees and butterflies, and birds work the canopy through the warmer months.
• Handles exposure. Drought and wind tolerant once the roots are down, which suits open blocks.

Where it works best

Shade tree. Give it 8m of clear ground in every direction and let it build a full canopy. It is semi deciduous in warm areas, so some winter sun still reaches the lawn beneath.

Driveways and avenues. Plant 8m to 10m apart, matched to the mature width, so the canopies meet overhead without crowding each other into narrow shapes.

Feature planting. One specimen at the front of a large property does the work of a whole garden bed once it flowers.

Growing Cape Chestnut in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. This is a tree for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, so coastal Queensland, northern New South Wales and the warmer parts of Sydney and Perth. It tolerates light frost only, so cold inland districts and hard frosting southern gardens are not suitable.

Soil. It wants depth and drainage more than richness. Break up compacted subsoil in the planting hole, work compost through the backfill, and keep 75mm of mulch over the root zone but clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. A newly lifted tree needs a deep, slow soak twice a week through the first two summers. Feed a complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and again in late summer while it re establishes.

Pruning. Very little is needed. Remove damaged wood after transplanting and lift the lower limbs gradually over the first few years to set your clearance height.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are grown: 4.5m to 5m and 5.5m to 6m. Both are field grown and lifted to order with a rootball, which means the tree arrives with a reduced root system relative to its canopy. Expect a quiet first season while it rebuilds roots, some leaf thinning, and staking for at least the first year. Plan for machinery on planting day, because a tree this size is not a two person lift.

Ex ground stock is delivered Australia wide within our service area, and advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. A minimum order of $300 before delivery applies, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full ex ground tree range
• Compare advanced trees for instant height
• How to transplant trees and shrubs successfully
• See other flowering trees

Common questions

How long until it flowers after planting?

An ex ground tree at 4.5m or more is already of flowering age, but it will put its energy into roots first. Expect a light show in the second year and a full one from the third.

Will it survive frost?

It takes light frost only. In a district that gets repeated hard frosts the young growth burns and the tree never settles, so choose a warmer species instead.

Is it safe near a driveway?

Give it 8m of room and keep the trunk at least 3m from hard surfaces. It is a full sized shade tree, not a street tree for a narrow verge.