Description:

An unusual and iconic tree producing long, straight fine folage that takes on a spherical form at the top of a dark brown trunk; an amazing garden accent; drought tolerant once established; sensitive roots until established, very slow growth rate

Ornamental Features

Grass Tree features showy spikes of creamy white flowers rising above the foliage from late winter to late spring. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage. The grassy leaves are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Grass Tree is a dense evergreen tree, selected and trained to grow in a small tree-like form with the primary plant grafted high atop a standard. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Grass Tree is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Grass Tree will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Grass Tree is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.