Blueberry ash

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; shelter from cold, drying winds.

Water

Water regularly while establishing. Once established, it tolerates short dry spells, but grows and flowers better with water during prolonged dry weather.

Soil

Moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil, preferably acidic to neutral. Avoid waterlogged ground and strongly alkaline soil.

Height

15-30 ft (4.5-9 m) in gardens; occasionally taller in favourable conditions

Spread

10-15 ft (3-4.5 m)

Flowers

Spring to early summer; small, hanging white or pale pink flowers with finely fringed petals.

Foliage

Evergreen. Glossy, leathery, dark green leaves with finely toothed edges; scattered older leaves turn red before falling.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.2 m)

3. After 2 years

   8 ft (2.5 m)

4. After 3 years

   9 ft (2.7 m)

5. After 5 years

   10 ft (3.2 m)

About 20 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

Australia

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply through the first two growing seasons, allowing the surface soil to begin drying between waterings.
• Spread organic mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Apply a light dressing of slow-release fertiliser in spring if growth is weak; avoid heavy feeding.
• Protect young trees from frost with horticultural fleece during cold nights.
• Stake only if the root ball moves in wind, and remove ties once the tree is secure.

Pruning. Prune lightly after flowering to shape the crown or maintain a screen, noting that this removes some developing fruit. Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches as needed, and avoid routine hard cutting.

Spring

Plant after the risk of hard frost has passed, and water the root ball thoroughly.

Spring

Refresh mulch and feed lightly if growth is weak.

Early summer

After flowering, shorten only shoots that need shaping.

Summer

Water young trees deeply during dry spells and check sheltered foliage for scale insects.

Autumn

Check stakes and ties, and leave blue fruit for visiting birds.

Winter

Protect young trees during frost and make sure the root area is not waterlogged.

• Use as a narrow evergreen screen along a sheltered boundary, allowing room for its mature width.
• Plant as a small specimen tree where the hanging flowers and blue fruit can be seen from a path.
• Combine with ferns, native violets and other shade-tolerant plants in a woodland-style garden.
• Use with other eastern Australian plants to provide year-round cover and seasonal food for birds.

Garden styles it suits: Australian native, Woodland, Wildlife garden, Coastal, Modern courtyard and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Soft tree fern, Native violet, Mat rush, Flax lily, Bird's nest fern and Sweet pittosporum.

Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other insects. The blue fruits are eaten by birds, which can disperse the seeds; dense foliage also provides shelter.

• Yellow leaves with green veins can indicate unsuitable alkaline soil; test the soil and address the cause rather than repeatedly adding fertiliser.
• Scale insects can cause sticky honeydew and sooty mould; remove small infestations by hand or use horticultural oil according to the label.
• Wilting or dieback in wet ground can indicate root damage or root rot; improve drainage and avoid frequent shallow watering.
• Frost can scorch leaves and kill young shoots; shelter young trees and wait until spring growth starts before removing damaged wood.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses, although reliable species-specific information for pets and livestock is limited. The fruit has a thin edible flesh around a hard stone, but the stones should not be swallowed and are a choking hazard.

• Blue quandong (Elaeocarpus angustifolius)

  A much larger rainforest tree with larger leaves and fruit; mature trees often develop conspicuous buttress roots.

• Sweet pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum)

  Has wavy rather than finely toothed leaf margins, unfringed cream flowers and orange capsules that split to expose sticky seeds.

Elaeocarpus comes from Greek words meaning olive and fruit, reticulatus refers to the net-like leaf veins, and blueberry ash describes the blue fruit and superficial resemblance to an ash.

Propagation. Raise from cleaned seed, but expect slow and irregular germination because of the hard stone. Semi-ripe cuttings taken in summer with rooting hormone and gentle bottom heat are another option, though rooting can be variable.

Accepted botanical name

Elaeocarpus reticulatus

Native range

New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria.

Measured

Average height 1190 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.