CASSIA fistula (Golden Shower Tree)

The Golden Shower Tree (Cassia fistula) is one of the great flowering shade trees for warm Australian gardens, hung with pendulous chains of clear yellow flowers in early summer. It grows to about 9m tall and 7m wide, with a broad open canopy that casts usable shade without blocking the light. This is ex ground stock: field grown and lifted as an advanced specimen, so it has real size on day one.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers you can see from the street. Long hanging racemes of golden yellow cover the tree in early summer, often while the canopy is still thin.
• Fast to shade. It grows quickly in warm conditions, so a driveway or a west facing lawn gets useful canopy in a few years rather than a decade.
• Heat and humidity are no problem. Drought tolerant once established, heat tolerant and at home in tropical humidity.
• Advanced from the start. Ex ground trees are field grown for years, so you buy an established trunk and canopy instead of waiting for one.

Where it works best

Feature planting. A single specimen on a lawn or in a front garden is the classic use. Give it 7m of clear width and it will fill it.

Shade tree. The canopy is broad and filtered rather than dense, so lawn and understorey planting still work beneath it.

Driveways and avenues. Planted 8m to 10m apart, the crowns meet overhead in time while leaving room for vehicles beneath the lifted branches.

Growing the Golden Shower Tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, in tropical and subtropical gardens only. It is frost tender, so it is not a tree for cool temperate, tableland or inland frost pockets, and even light frost damages young growth. In the subtropics it drops much of its foliage before flowering, which is normal.

Soil. Well drained and preferably deep, with the planting hole worked over well beyond the rootball. It handles sand and light clay, but it will not sit in water.

Water and feed. An advanced tree needs deep watering twice a week through its first two summers while the roots move out into surrounding soil, after which it is genuinely drought tolerant. Feed a complete slow release fertiliser each spring for the first few years.

Pruning. Little is needed. Remove crossing or damaged limbs in late winter, and lift the lower branches gradually for mowing or vehicle clearance.

What to expect when it arrives

This is a single ex ground specimen, not a potted nursery tree. Field grown trees are lifted with a rootball, so they arrive with a reduced root system and a canopy trimmed back to balance it. That is standard practice, and the tree responds by pushing strong new growth once it settles.

Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, so delivery on a tree this size is quoted rather than charged at a flat rate. Trees are delivered Australia wide, with a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Plan for machinery or several people to place it, stake it against wind for two years, and water deeply from planting day. Expect a quiet first season, then rapid growth. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the ex ground tree range
• Compare flowering trees
• Choosing a canopy tree for shade
• The best time to plant a tree in Australia

Common questions

Is it safe around pets and children?

The seed pods are strongly purgative, so we do not list it as pet friendly. Rake up dropped pods where dogs chew or children play, though most animals leave them alone.

Does it lose its leaves?

Partly. In the subtropics it is semi deciduous and sheds much of its canopy in late winter and spring, often flowering on near bare branches. In the wet tropics it holds more foliage year round.

How much room does it need?

Allow for a 7m spread and keep it at least 5m clear of a house or paving. It spreads rather than grows upright, so width matters more than height when you choose the spot.