TABEBUIA chrysantha (Golden Trumpet Tree)

The Golden Trumpet Tree (Handroanthus chrysanthus, long sold as Tabebuia chrysantha) does one thing better than almost any tree in an Australian garden. It drops its leaves in late winter, then covers every bare branch in golden trumpet flowers before a single leaf returns. In cultivation it settles at around 8m tall and 5m wide, a shade tree a suburban block can genuinely carry. This is an advanced ex ground specimen, so you are buying decades of growth, not a sapling.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers on bare wood. The leafless canopy turns solid gold for two to three weeks in late winter and early spring, with nothing green to dilute it.
• A mature size that suits a garden. At roughly 8m by 5m the canopy clears head height without dominating a standard block.
• Bees, butterflies and birds. The nectar rich trumpets bring in pollinators and honeyeaters when little else is flowering.
• Tough once it is away. Drought, heat and humidity are all handled, so it holds up through a hard summer.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One tree on a front lawn is the whole design. Site it where the winter flowering is visible from the house or street.

Shade tree. The open canopy throws dappled shade over summer, then lets winter sun reach the house while the branches are bare.

Driveways and avenues. Allow at least 6m between trees so each canopy develops its full spread, and set the row back 3m from the driveway edge.

Growing the golden trumpet tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering. It belongs in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens and takes light frost only, so cold inland districts, the tablelands and hard frosting southern gardens are not suitable. Flowering is strongest where a cool dry spell precedes spring.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Dig a wide hole, work compost through the backfill, and mound the position on heavy clay. Keep 75mm of mulch clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers, then it runs on rainfall in most seasons. Apply a complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and again once flowering finishes. Ease off in late winter, since a wet dormant period can thin the display.

Pruning. Little is needed. Remove crossing branches and lift the lower limbs in the early years to set a clean trunk, and do that work straight after flowering.

What to expect when it arrives

This is an ex ground tree: field grown, then lifted with its root ball rather than raised in a pot. It arrives as a substantial specimen with real trunk calliper and a formed head.

Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, with specialist transport quoted for this size. Have the hole dug and the stakes ready before delivery day. Expect a quiet first season while the roots rebuild, and a thinner canopy that year is normal, not a fault. Delivered Australia wide, and covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• See the rest of the ex ground tree range
• How to settle a transplanted tree into a new site
• Compare other flowering trees
• The best time of year to plant a tree in Australia

Common questions

When does it flower?

Late winter into early spring, on bare branches after the leaves drop. The display runs two to three weeks, and in tropical gardens a later dry spell can trigger a lighter second flush.

Will it grow in a cold garden?

No. It tolerates light frost only, so regular hard frosts damage the young wood and spoil the flower buds. Warm temperate coastal gardens are the cool climate limit.

How much mess does it make?

The spent flowers drop as a gold carpet over a couple of weeks, and the leaves drop once a year. Easy to rake off lawn, but avoid planting directly over a pool.

How fast does it grow?

Moderate, and slower again in its first settling season. Buying at advanced size is the point: a mature canopy now, not in fifteen years.