Red Edge Pandanus

Red Edge Pandanus (Pandanus utilis 'Red Edge') is the sculptural tree to plant when a garden needs one strong shape rather than more foliage. In Australian gardens it settles at around 6m tall and 3m wide, holding stiff blue green leaves in tight spirals above a trunk propped on visible aerial roots. The red spined leaf margins give it the name, and salt, wind and drought barely register once it is established.

Why you'll love it

• It reads as architecture. Spiralling crowns on a propped trunk give a courtyard or entry a focal point that needs no underplanting to work.
• Built for the coast. Salt tolerant, wind tolerant and drought tolerant, so exposed beachside blocks that burn other feature trees suit it well.
• Clean around water. Leathery leaves shed slowly and there is no flower or fruit litter, which is why it works beside a pool.
• Genuinely low maintenance. No pruning schedule, no feeding regime, no shaping. It grows the shape it grows.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One plant carries a courtyard, a front garden or a gravel bed. Allow at least 3m of clearance for the mature crown and the aerial roots.

Coastal gardens and poolside. Salt spray and sandy soil are no obstacle, and the low litter habit keeps skimmer baskets clear. Keep it back from paths and pool edges, because the leaf margins carry fine spines.

Driveways and avenues. Planted 4m to 5m apart it makes a formal run, with the trunks and props doing the work at eye level.

Growing Red Edge Pandanus in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, and a warm one. This is a tropical, subtropical and warm temperate plant, frost tender at every age. Cool temperate, tableland and inland frost districts do not suit it in open ground.

Soil. Free draining ground is the requirement, and sand suits it perfectly. On clay, plant high on a raised mound and open the backfill with coarse compost, then mulch 75mm deep clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers while the roots and props develop. After that it needs water only in extended dry spells, and a controlled release fertiliser in early spring is enough.

Pruning. Remove spent lower leaves with gloves and long sleeves once they brown off. Never cut the growing tip of a crown, because it will not reshoot from that point.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in four sizes: 300mm, 45L, 100L and 200L. A 300mm plant is a single young crown, usually under a metre, and it is the patient option. The 45L is the common middle choice for a garden bed, while 100L and 200L specimens arrive with real trunk and visible aerial roots.

Leaves are stiff and travel upright with little damage, though tip browning after transit is normal and trims off. Expect steady growth of roughly 20 to 30cm a year. 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 carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Using pandanus as a feature tree
• Compare the pandanus varieties grown in Australia.
• Browse the poolside planting range.
• See more salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens.

Common questions

How big will it actually get in my garden?

Around 6m tall and 3m wide is the realistic mature size in cultivation here. The 20m figure quoted for this species applies to mature trees in tropical Madagascar, not to an Australian garden bed.

Are the leaves dangerous?

The margins carry fine red spines that scratch, so wear gloves when handling it and site it away from paths, play areas and pool surrounds. It is not a plant to brush past in bare skin.

Will it survive frost, and can I pot it?

It is frost tender at all ages, so cold inland and southern gardens should use a wide, heavy pot with sharp drainage that can shift to a frost free spot for winter. Potted plants stay well under 6m.