Spanish Cherry

Spanish Cherry (Mimusops elengi) is the evergreen shade tree to plant when you want a dense canopy and a garden that smells of it. It grows to about 8m tall and 5m wide, holds glossy foliage through the year, and carries small cream flowers with a scent strong enough to fill a courtyard at dusk. It also clips well, so the same tree works as a shaped screen or a formal avenue.

Why you'll love it

• Fragrance that carries. The flowers are small and easily missed, but the perfume is intense and drifts well beyond the canopy on warm evenings.
• Dense evergreen shade. The canopy is thick and low branching, so it blocks sight lines and heat far better than an open crowned tree.
• Tough where it counts. Drought tolerant, salt tolerant and heat tolerant once established, which makes it a reliable coastal and inland street tree.
• It takes the shears. Unusually for a tree this size, it responds well to clipping and can be held as a tall hedge or a lifted screen.

Where it works best

Shade tree. One tree covers a seating area or a stretch of lawn. Allow the full 5m width and keep it 4m back from the house so the canopy has room to develop evenly.

Screening and hedging. Plant 3m apart in a single row for a dense screen. At that spacing the canopies meet within a few seasons and can be clipped into a formal wall of green.

Driveways and avenues. Matched trees at 5m to 6m along a drive give a clean repeating rhythm, and the scent is best where you pass it daily.

Growing Spanish Cherry in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and handles coastal exposure and humidity without burning. It takes light frost only once established, so cold inland districts and hard frosting southern gardens are not the place for it.

Soil. It is not particular about soil type and copes with sandy coastal ground, provided the site drains. Dig compost through the backfill and mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first two summers, after which it is genuinely drought tolerant. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and again in late summer keeps growth and flowering steady.

Pruning. Left alone it needs almost nothing. For a hedge, trim twice a year in the warm months. For a clear trunked shade tree, remove the lowest branches progressively over the first few years rather than all at once.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in 45L, 100L and 400L. The 45L is a well branched young tree that establishes quickly and is the sensible choice for a long screen. The 100L carries more immediate height, and the 400L is a genuinely advanced specimen for when the effect is needed now.

A few bruised leaves on arrival are normal at these sizes. Stake for the first year in exposed positions. Trees 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

• Choosing trees to line a driveway
• Browse fragrant plants and trees
• Compare screening plants from 4m to 8m
• Advanced trees for immediate effect

Common questions

How far apart do I plant it for a screen?

Three metres apart in a single row. Closer spacing crowds the canopies and forces the lower branches out, which leaves gaps at fence height.

How fast does it grow?

Moderate rather than fast, around 50cm of height a year once established. Starting from 100L or 400L is the shortcut if you need the canopy sooner.

Will the roots lift paving?

It is better behaved than many trees this size, but any 8m tree deserves room. Allow 3m to 4m between the trunk and paving or pipes.