My last post featured a couple of local trees suitable as Christmas trees, the Illawarra Plum Pine (Podocarpus elatus) and NSW Christmas Bush (Ceratopetalum gummiferum). They are both shining right now as street trees.

In particular, the Illawarra Plum Pine makes an outstanding street tree, and once you know what it looks like, you can spot it on verges and in parks all around the Illawarra. With its flushes of lime-green new growth and dark glossy leaves, it's a great conifer alternative to European pine trees.

It is also an outstandingly robust and durable tree that grows naturally right across New South Wales and Queensland, and is a representative of the plant communities that evolved many millions of years ago on the supercontinent of Gondwana. 

The Illawarra Plum Pine can reach 30m or more in height in natural forest conditions, which would put many people off growing it as a garden or street tree. But, as the picture above attests, in full sun and with a bit of care, this tree stays happily at about 6-8m. It can also be maintained as a hedge, at whatever height suits you, with amazing examples present around the Illawarra, such as in Mount Ousley. 

It also has the added bonus of producing masses of delicious, succulent fruit that is excellent in jams and sauces. Only the female trees produce the fruit, so the trick is working out whether you have a male or a female tree, which is difficult before they start producing flowers or fruit at about eight to 10 years old. Checking out advanced trees in nurseries is one way around this if you have your heart set on a girl (or, indeed, a boy). 

Best of all, the Illawarra Plum Pine makes an outstanding indoor plant and can be decorated to your heart's content.