City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/84984
The wilga is a small, native tree found Australia. Its natural range is open woodland areas through Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, and it is well known to be drought tolerant and hardy. For you Yankee guys that's USDA Hardiness Zones 9A through to 11B. in the dry inland areas of south-eastern The wilga has been used here on rural proper- ties as windbreaks and stock feed, and indig- enous Australians chewed its leaves to allevi- ate toothache. Now it's gaining recognition as a suitable tree for streetscapes and urban areas. Trials of this Aussie in our patch are looking good. Geijera parviflora has an elegant weeping habit that has been likened to the weeping willow. It has pendulous, linear, glossy dark grey-green to olive leaves and small white flow- ers in spring/summer. Wilga grows best in full sun; however, it will tolerate some shade and is content in a variety of soil types, from clays through to sands. Once established, it requires very little maintenance due to its slow growth and compact size, and early formative pruning will pay dividends in the future. Roots are deep and concrete friendly. Generally it takes up to three years to grow to 1.5 metres (5 feet) and reaches its mature height of nine to ten metres (30 to 35 feet) after ten years. During our recent prolonged drought in south- eastern Australia, where many tree species suc- cumbed, the wilga was a tree-mendous survivor. It seemed to be that the worse conditions got, the better they did. The wilga has been hard to obtain in the past due to the difficulty in germinating from seed and the variability of cuttings. Information from landholders suggests that the seeds may need to pass through the guts of birds to germinate, which is why many seedlings in rural areas appear next to fence posts. Some success has been achieved in Australian nurseries, making wilga more readily available for urban land- scapes. A selected form has been produced in California, at the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation, and the Australian willow appears to be gaining popularity in the drier areas of the United States. "Go on, give it a go–it's a little bewdy, mate!!" –Henry Haavisto, Manager Urban Trees & Biodiversity, City of Campbelltown, South Australia www.urban-forestry.com Irrigating young Wilga trees 39 Closeup Wilga foliage