Hoop Pine Tree

Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) is the tall, narrow native conifer behind the skyline of coastal Queensland and northern New South Wales. In a garden it settles at around 15m tall and 5m wide over ten to fifteen years, far short of the 50m it reaches in rainforest. Its value is the shape: a straight trunk and a tight symmetrical crown that gives height and formality without a spreading canopy.

Why you'll love it

• Height without width. A crown around 5m across at maturity, so it can line a drive or mark a corner where a spreading shade tree would never fit.
• Australian native, and it shows. Whorled branches and stiff foliage give a distinctly local outline, and the seed cones bring in cockatoos.
• It stands up to weather. Salt tolerant, wind tolerant and drought tolerant once established, which is why it holds exposed coastal blocks.
• Very little upkeep. It grows to its own shape. No pruning schedule, no shaping, no annual trim, and sizes run to 200L if you want height on day one.

Where it works best

Driveways and avenues. Plant 4m apart in a row. That spacing gives each crown room to hold its symmetry, and the rhythm of matched trunks is the whole point of an avenue.

Windbreaks and coastal gardens. A single row at 4m spacing filters wind across an exposed block, and it holds condition within sight of the surf.

Screening and feature planting. It screens height rather than ground level, so it works against a two storey outlook but not along a fence line. One tree in a large lawn becomes a landmark.

Growing hoop pine in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. It belongs to tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens and takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland and cool southern districts are not the place for it. Coastal exposure and humidity trouble it not at all.

Soil. Deep, free draining soil is ideal, and it copes well with sandy coastal ground. It will not sit in waterlogged clay, so mound the site where drainage is poor.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers while the root plate forms, after which it becomes genuinely drought tolerant. A slow release native fertiliser in early spring is plenty. Growth is moderate, roughly 30 to 60cm a year.

Pruning. Leave it alone. Removing the leader ruins the shape permanently. The only sensible cuts are lower branches taken off cleanly for clearance as the tree gains height.

What to expect when it arrives

Six sizes are available: 200mm in packs of six, 300mm, 400mm, and 45L, 100L and 200L advanced stock. The 200mm packs suit a long windbreak row where you have time on your side. The 300mm and 400mm pots are the usual garden choice. From 45L up you are buying an established tree with a formed leader.

The foliage is prickly, so wear gloves. Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect little visible growth in the first season, then steady height from the second year. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Growing and maintaining conifers
• Compare the conifer range
• Browse Australian native trees
• Trees for a windbreak row

Common questions

How big will it really get in a suburban garden?

Around 15m tall and 5m wide over ten to fifteen years, taller again given decades and deep soil. The 50m figure often quoted comes from rainforest stands, not garden trees.

How far apart for an avenue or windbreak?

Four metres between trees. Closer planting crowds the crowns and thins the lower branches, spoiling both the symmetry and the wind filtering.

Will it grow in Melbourne or Canberra?

Not reliably. It takes light frost only, so cool temperate and frosty inland gardens sit outside its range. Coastal New South Wales, Queensland and warm temperate Western Australia suit it far better. The root plate is also broad, so allow at least 5m from buildings and services.