Fraser Island Apple

Fraser Island Apple (Acronychia imperforata) is the native screening tree for a coastal block. It grows to about 6m tall and only 3m wide in a home garden, holding glossy dark green foliage from low down, and it takes salt wind, humidity and dry spells without losing that density. Cream summer flowers are followed by pale fruit that birds strip quickly.

Why you'll love it

• Tall and narrow. Roughly 6m of height on a 3m footprint, which screens a two storey neighbour without taking over a suburban back garden.
• Built for the coast. Salt tolerant and humidity tolerant, so it holds up on exposed foreshore blocks where most screening plants burn off on the windward side.
• Dense glossy foliage. Thick leathery leaves on a plant that stays furnished at the base rather than lifting into bare trunks.
• An Australian native that feeds birds. Small pale fruit that figbirds and honeyeaters work through.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 1.5m apart for a dense screen. At that spacing the canopies knit within two to three seasons while each plant still fills out at the base, which is the difference between a screen and a row of bare trunks.

Coastal gardens and windbreaks. On a beachfront or estuary block, use a double staggered row at 1.5m to 2m so the planting filters salt wind rather than presenting a wall to it.

Clipped hedging and feature planting. It takes a trim well and holds at 2m to 3m as a formal hedge, or stands alone as a courtyard specimen.

Growing Fraser Island Apple in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the densest growth, part shade for a looser habit. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, so the Queensland coast, northern New South Wales, Sydney and coastal Western Australia all suit it. It takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland and cold southern gardens should choose something hardier.

Soil. Sandy coastal soil is its natural ground, and it is not fussy beyond wanting drainage. On clay, plant on a raised mound and mulch 75mm deep.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off as the roots go down. It is drought tolerant after two seasons. A controlled release native fertiliser in early spring keeps the leaf colour dark.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density low down, then trim twice a year on a hedge. It reshoots from older wood, so an overgrown screen can be brought back.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in seven sizes: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six, then 300mm, 400mm, 45L and 100L. For a long boundary the smaller pots are the value choice, young but quick to establish. The 45L and 100L plants arrive already branched with real height on day one.

Plants are packed to travel upright, and the thick leathery leaves handle transit better than most. Expect a quiet three to four weeks after planting, then new growth. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the wider hedging and screening range
• The best fast growing screening trees for privacy
• Browse plants for coastal gardens
• See other Australian native trees

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

One and a half metres apart in a single row. Tighter spacing does not close the screen any faster and makes watering along the row harder. For a windbreak, use two staggered rows at 1.5m to 2m.

How tall will it get?

Around 6m in a home garden, and taller in its natural coastal habitat where it can approach 10m. Two trims a year hold it at 2m to 3m as a hedge.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only, and only once established. Young plants are the vulnerable ones, so in a marginal district protect them for the first two winters.