Tubestock

Why buy tubestock instead of potted plants

A tube holds a young, well rooted plant with a season or two of growth behind it. For a single feature tree the saving hardly matters, but for a 20m hedge, a bank of groundcover or a whole new garden it decides whether you plant the lot this year or in stages. The honest trade-off is time. Tubestock typically runs about a year behind 200mm stock, though young plants suffer less transplant shock and close the gap faster than most people expect.

How to shortlist over 1,100 plants

Treat the sidebar filters as your shortlisting tool. Start with mature height, because a plant that outgrows its spot is the mistake that costs most to fix later. Set your climate zone next; most of the range suits warm temperate and subtropical gardens, and the frost hardy filter matters for inland and southern sites. Then filter by use. Screening favourites like Lilly Pilly 'Resilience' lead the bestsellers, with groundcovers for mass planting and Australian native plants close behind.

Spacing and how many to order

Spacing follows the plant's mature size, not the size of the tube, so set tubes out at the same centres as potted stock. Lilly Pilly 'Resilience' (Syzygium australe) goes in at 1m apart for a dense screen and reaches about 5m if left untrimmed. No Mow Grass (Zoysia tenuifolia) knits into a soft lawn alternative at 30cm centres, native violet (Viola hederacea) covers moist shade planted 300mm apart, and Japanese Box builds a formal border at 30cm to 40cm. Divide the run or the bed by the spacing and order that number. Planting tighter buys root competition, not a faster result.

Getting young plants established

Small plants forgive almost everything except a dry first month. Dig each hole twice as wide as the tube and no deeper, water in heavily, then mulch 75mm deep with the mulch kept clear of the stems. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer rather than a light sprinkle every day, and feed with a controlled release fertiliser in early spring. Our guide to establishing new garden plants walks through the first season step by step.

Common questions

How long does tubestock take to catch up?

Fast growers such as lilly pillies and most hedging and screening plants sit about a year behind 200mm stock, and by the third season the difference is hard to pick. Slow growers like box hold the gap longer, so buy those in larger sizes if the timeline matters.

Are small plants harder to keep alive?

Not harder, just less forgiving early on. A tube's small root ball dries out faster than a potted plant's, so the first four to six weeks of regular water decide the result. After that, establishment is quick.

How many groundcovers per square metre?

At 30cm centres you need about ten plants per square metre, and native violet at 300mm spacing works out the same. For spreading shrubs, one plant per square metre is usually plenty. Waiting for coverage always costs less than overplanting.

Is there a minimum order?

No. There is no minimum order, so a handful of tubes travels as easily as a bulk planting. Everything here is delivered Australia wide with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.