Katsura Tree

Katsura Tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) is grown for one of the best autumn displays available to a cool climate Australian garden. It reaches about 8m tall and 5m wide over a garden lifetime, carrying heart shaped leaves that turn apricot and gold before dropping. The unusual part is the scent: as the leaves fall they give off a clear smell of burnt caramel.

Why you'll love it

• Autumn colour with a scent to match. Apricot and gold foliage, and a burnt caramel fragrance while the leaves fall.
• Beautiful in leaf, not just in autumn. The small heart shaped leaves give a fine, light texture through spring and summer.
• Shade without bulk. At roughly 8m by 5m it shades a seating area or a lawn while staying in scale with a suburban block.
• Copes with damp ground and wind. Wet feet tolerant and wind tolerant, which is an unusual pairing in a deciduous feature tree.

Where it works best

Feature planting. Give it an open position where the autumn colour is seen from the house, and where you walk past the fallen leaves rather than sweeping them up.

Shade tree. Deciduous shade is the useful kind: cover over summer, then bare branches that let winter sun back into the house.

Driveways and avenues. Working from a mature width of 5m, plant 5m to 6m apart so the crowns meet without crowding into narrow shapes.

Growing Katsura in Australia

Position and climate. A cool temperate and warm temperate tree, frost hardy, so cold southern gardens, the tablelands and highland districts suit it. It is not a tree for subtropical or tropical gardens. It stands wind, but hot dry wind scorches the foliage, so give it some shelter from summer northerlies.

Soil. Deep, well structured soil improved with plenty of compost. It will grow in ground that stays damp after rain, unusual in a tree this ornamental, but it does not want stagnant water around the trunk.

Water and feed. Reliable moisture makes or breaks this tree. Deep water weekly through the first three summers and never let it go dry in a heatwave, because drought stress shows as scorched leaf margins and early leaf drop. Feed a complete slow release fertiliser in early spring, and keep 75mm of mulch clear of the trunk.

Pruning. Very little is needed. The natural shape is good, so limit yourself to removing crossing or damaged branches in winter while the tree is young.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold in one size, a 400mm pot. That is a young tree with a formed leader rather than an advanced specimen, and it takes several seasons to build a canopy worth sitting under.

Katsura is deciduous, so a tree sent over winter arrives bare stemmed and looking lifeless. That is normal, and it shoots as the soil warms. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse trees and plants for autumn colour
• Compare the full deciduous tree range
• Plants suited to cool climate gardens
• When to plant a tree in Australia

Common questions

Will it grow in a warm subtropical garden?

No. It needs a genuinely cool climate to colour well and stay healthy, and long humid summers do not suit it. Warm coastal and subtropical gardeners should choose a different autumn tree.

How big does it get?

Plan for about 8m tall and 5m wide. Over many decades in ideal conditions it can exceed 15m, so give it room and keep it away from the house.

Does it really smell of caramel?

Yes, and it is the reason many people plant it. The scent comes as the leaves fall in autumn, so it lasts a few weeks each year rather than all season.

Can I plant it in a low, damp part of the garden?

Yes. It is wet feet tolerant and copes with ground that holds water after rain. It is the opposite problem it cannot handle, so a damp site is safer than a dry one.