fried egg plant

Fried Egg Plant (Gordonia axillaris) is a small evergreen tree that saves its show for the cold months: from autumn into winter it opens large white flowers with a centre of golden yellow stamens, each bloom living up to the name. It grows to about 6m tall and 4m wide in gardens, holds glossy deep green foliage year round, and drops its spent flowers whole so they lie face up in a carpet beneath the tree.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers when little else bothers. The autumn and winter display arrives exactly when most Australian gardens have gone quiet.
• The look of a camellia, with less fuss. The single white blooms could pass for a camellia's, but the tree itself is a low maintenance thing that gets on with life.
• A neat evergreen screen. Dense foliage from top to base makes it a handsome year round privacy planting for boundaries.
• Polite roots. The non-invasive root system lets it sit near paths and garden structures without worry.
• Winter forage for pollinators. Bees and butterflies work the flowers through the leanest months of their year.

Where it works best

Feature planting. Position it where the winter flowers and the carpet of dropped blooms can be admired: beside a path, outside a living room window, or anchoring a lawn.

Screening and privacy. Plant 3m apart for a screen. The evergreen canopy closes into dense cover while each tree keeps foliage low on the trunk.

Small gardens and light shade. At about 6m it works as the single small shade tree a suburban block needs, casting light shade a garden bed can live under.

Growing Fried Egg Plant in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun grows the densest tree and heaviest flowering. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, handles humidity and wind, but takes light frost only, so avoid deep frost hollows and shelter young plants through their first winters.

Soil. Like its camellia cousins it prefers well drained, slightly acid soil enriched with organic matter, and it sulks in strongly alkaline ground. Mulch well and keep the mulch off the trunk.

Water and feed. Keep the root zone evenly moist through the first two summers. Once established it needs water only in extended dry spells. Feed in spring with a fertiliser formulated for camellias and azaleas.

Pruning. Little is required. Tip prune young screen plants for density, and do any shaping as the last flowers finish in late winter, before the new season's growth.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Fried Egg Plant three ways: tube stock for patient gardeners on a budget, 200mm pots in a pack of six, and advanced 75L trees with real presence. At the 3m screen spacing, one six pack plants around 15m of boundary. Evergreen stock travels in full leaf, so expect a healthy, furnished plant from the box.

Plants are 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 is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse companion flowering trees for the warmer months.
• Compare specimen options in the feature tree collection.
• Match tree to position with the best feature trees for low and high sun spots.

Common questions

Why is it called the fried egg plant?

The flower is a wide ring of white petals around a bold yellow centre, and spent blooms drop whole to lie face up on the ground. A tree in full flower stands over a lawn scattered with them.

How far apart should I plant a screen?

Plant 3m apart. The canopies knit into continuous evergreen cover over a few seasons while each tree stays clothed to the base.

How big does it really get?

Expect about 6m tall and 4m wide in a garden. The species can reach 10m in ideal conditions over many years, but that is the ceiling rather than the plan.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. Established trees shrug off a mild white morning, but young plants need protection, and districts with regular hard frosts should look elsewhere.