Brown Pine

Brown Pine (Podocarpus elatus) is the Australian native answer to a formal evergreen screen. In a suburban garden it settles at around 8m tall and 4m wide, holding dark, narrow, leathery foliage from top to bottom, and it clips as cleanly as any exotic conifer. It is also the tree behind the Illawarra plum, the sweet purple black fruit that birds find long before you do.

Why you'll love it

• A native that behaves like a hedge plant. Dense evergreen growth, an upright habit and a good response to shearing, so it works as a wall or a shaped specimen.
• Edible fruit worth waiting for. The fleshy Illawarra plum has a resinous plum and pine flavour used in native food cooking, and birds work through it.
• Coastal hardy. Salt and humidity tolerant, so exposed eastern seaboard blocks suit it where many screening trees burn.
• Drought tolerant once established. Deep rooted and low maintenance after the first two summers.

Where it works best

Screening and hedging. Plant 1.5m apart in a single row for a dense screen. That spacing lets each tree furnish right to the ground; closer planting only creates competition.

Shade and feature planting. Left unclipped it develops a broad, dark, layered canopy that reads as a proper shade tree in a mid sized backyard.

Coastal gardens. Salt air and humidity suit it, screening a beach block or standing alone near a deck.

Growing Brown Pine in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest screen, though it accepts part shade and grows more openly there. It belongs in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost once established, so cold tableland and inland southern districts are a stretch, and young plants there need shelter.

Soil. Any reasonably drained soil, from sand to improved clay, and it copes with poorer ground than most rainforest trees. Break up compacted subsoil before planting, then mulch 75mm deep and clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first two summers, then reduce. A controlled release native fertiliser in early spring and again in late summer keeps the foliage dark rather than yellow green.

Pruning. Growth is moderate rather than fast, which is why it holds a shape so well. Tip prune from planting to thicken the base, then shear once or twice a year for a formal hedge. It reshoots from older wood, so an overgrown screen can be brought back.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 200mm pots sold in packs of six, in 300mm and 400mm pots, and in 25L, 45L and 100L sizes, with the 25L on backorder. The 200mm and 300mm plants are young and single stemmed, the sensible choice for a long boundary. From 45L up you are buying a tree with real structure on day one.

This is a moderate grower: plan on three to four years for a 200mm plant to screen, and give larger sizes a season to settle. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. 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 options in screening plants from 4m to 8m.
• Browse the wider Australian native tree range.
• Read our guide to creating a hedge and keeping it sharp.
• See what else suits salt air in plants for coastal areas.

Common questions

How tall will it actually get in a garden?

About 8m tall and 4m wide over many years. Rainforest specimens reach 30m and more, but growth is slow and garden trees rarely approach it, especially when the top is trimmed.

How far apart for a screen?

One and a half metres apart in a single row. The canopies knit at that spacing while each tree keeps foliage down low, which is where most screens fail.

Can you eat the fruit?

Yes. The fleshy purple stalk, the Illawarra plum, is edible and is used in jams and sauces. Only female trees fruit, and seedlings cannot be sexed until they mature.