Lilly Pilly Trees, Hedges and Plants - Growers Guide and where to grow them.

Australian cherries, also known as Lilly Pillies, are evergreen trees that produce red or purple fruit.

The Lilly pilly tree is a fast growing tree that is ideal for use as hedges, windbreaks, as well as for attracting birds or simply as an eye-catching ornamental plant.

Lilly pillies are native to the Australian rainforest and do well in most settings.

There are many different genera of Lilly pillies.The plethora of commercial marketing names can add to the confusion.

Although Lilly pillies grow into large trees in their normal rainforest setting, they happily adapt to regular pruning for size and can be obtained miniature varieties.

Lilly pilly hedges produce a great display of fragrant white flowers in the summer and the berries are great for jams and preserves.

Lilly pillies will tolerate frosts, sandy soils and coastal conditions, but prefer good fertile moist soil.Lilly pillies don't do well in wet areas so make sure there is adequate drainage.

Although they will need regular watering, Lilly pillies will grow well as container plants.

Lilly pillies, especially the many garden varieties, produce a wonderful contrast in foliage colour from deep glossy green mature leaves to bronze, red, pink, or copper in new growth.

They are a wonderful choice for hedging because of their colour range and dense growth.Fire resistant qualities are an added bonus when you plant Red Head.

Lilly pillies are a great addition to your garden.If you grow them in pots they will dry out quickly and the stress will make them more prone to disease.

Lilly pilly likes adequate drainage and will do well in a wide range of soils.Lilly pillies will love you if you keep them mulched.

We know how important your garden is to you and so we make every effort to find the right plants for you.There are a number of Lilly pilly varieties to choose from.

Although Lilly pilly is native to Australia and grows as tall as 30 metres in its natural setting, you can easily downsize them to a much more manageable size.

The maximum height of many of the garden cultivars is less than 6 metres.

It is perfect for hedges and tight planting areas where you don't want to lose any more usable space than you have to.

Sublime is a tough plant that can cope with a wide range of conditions, from sandy to heavy clay soils.It produces a lot of flowers, but rarely produces fruit.Sublime can be used in hedging, topiary planting or as a specimen plant.

Red Head Acmena produces small white flowers that grow into purple fruit.New growth begins as red then turns to chocolate before turning into a glossy green foliage.Thanks to its fire retardant qualities, RED HEAD is useful in hedging situations.

If you want a denser plant or a particular shape for a garden, regularPruning is important.Light Pruning can help encourage growth down to the ground.

After the flowering season is over, some light trimming of the tips will encourage a bigger flower display.You will get the opposite result if you leave this job too late.

If you choose the right variety for your needs, you can allow them to do their thing with an occasional tidy up.

There are a few issues you need to know about Lilly pilly, a hardy plant that will thrive in a variety of environments.

The psyllid is a native Australian insect that burrows inside the leaves.It is not likely to be fatal but it is ugly and will detract from the beauty of your hedge.

A variety of Lilly Pilly that is resistant to Psyllids is a great idea.The psyllid resistant varieties are SUBLIME, RED HEAD, and STRAIGHT AND NARROW.

It can be devastating if you scale stems and leaves.Before the scale develop their adult protective coating, they need to be treated with white oil.

There are two types of scale in Australia, soft and armored.You can try to get rid of small bugs with your fingernails.

Ladybirds are a natural predator of scale but if you have a serious problem you will probably need to use a spray such as white oil.

Ant colonies collect honeydew and protect the scale from predators.

Lilly pillies are part of the myrtle family so it can be a problem.Both the SUBLIME and RED HEAD varieties have been bred for resistance to myrtle rust.

If you have a problem with myrtle rust, it's a good idea to remove the foliage and spray with an approved fungicide to prevent the spread of the disease.

If you keep Lilly pillies well fed, watered, and healthy, they will usually resist most diseases.

Some of the Lilly pilly varieties are not prolific fruiters or even produce any at all.The taste of the fruit varies from variety to variety.

Lilly Pilly is a narrow Australian native who is similar in shape to a Pencil Pine or narrow Conifer.

Red Head is an attractive large shrub/small tree with lush glossy, rounded, broad, deep green foliage.