Roger's Tree Pick for May: Metrosideros excelsus, the New Zealand Christmas Tree

and shrubs native to Australia, South Africa, South America and the islands of the Pacific. My pick this month is a wonderful medium-size tree adaptable to many gardens from the seaside coast to our warmer inland valleys.

Metrosideros excelsus (pronounced “meh-troe-sih-DER-ohs eks-SELL-sus”) is native to New Zealand and blooms traditionally around November through December down-under, hence its nickname: “New Zealand Christmas Tree.”

With the reverse of the seasons above the equator, this tree is just beginning its blooming cycle now and will go into June and sometimes July.

This species is in the Myrtaceae (Myrtle family), which is large and includes bottlebrush, eucalypts, Feijoa and guava, to name a few. The tree is an evergreen round-headed tree that grows at a slow to moderate rate to about 30 feet tall and just a bit narrower in its form.

Its dense foliage is composed of two-inch leathery gray-green oval leaves. It is showy in bloom, with dense clusters of dark red bottlebrush-like flowers opening from whitish flower buds that cover the tree.

I have grown this tree in my nursery for the past 30 years and have planted hundreds up and down the coast of Southern California. It is one of the fool-proof trees along the coastal belt within sea-spray distance of the ocean, and there aren’t many plants that can tolerate direct seaside planting. The Maori name is “Pohutukawa” (“splashed by the sea spray”).

I planted some that I brought down from a specialty grower in Malibu in my botanical garden here in Fallbrook some 30 years ago and the trees have performed wonderfully in various locations about the ranch.The trees enjoy full sunlight with well-drained soil, and the DG (decomposed granite) of our slopes is ideal for them. It’s a great tree to bring hummingbirds into the garden with its crimson flower colors and the abundance of sweet nectar.

The shrubby shape of the trees, when young, can be used as a screening hedge or even espaliered against a wall or fence when opened up. Its natural formation of many basal stems or trunks can turn this tree into a real piece of horticultural art with juvenile pruning in the formulative years and continued with light lace pruning as it develops.

As a little horticultural tidbit, Pohutukawa timber is exceptionally hard and strong with a beautiful red color to the wood. The Maori used it as handles for their carving and kitchen tools. In the early days of wooden boats, the curved branches were sometimes used for the keel because of their natural “boat-shaped” curves, strength and rot resistance. Planks from the wood were used to make the rest of the hull.

History and mythology states that some of the first Maori canoes were carved from huge Metrosideros trees, which took these islanders to far away islands throughout the pacific.

I have some very rare variegated forms of this tree as the entrance specimens in my front patio off of the motor-court. The nature of its branches is that they are pendulous and hang downward, making them a very lacy and elegant tree, in my opinion.

There is also a very rare yellow flowering form called Metrosideros kermadecensis.

The trees can easily be grown from seeds, which are extremely fine and germinate fairly easy.

I have contracted with a local propagator to strike some cuttings of the variegated foliage from my trees, so stay tuned to see these reintroduced into the trade in a few years from now.

One important element to consider is not to plant this tree in frost-cold areas. It is a sub-tropical and does not like extended periods of freezing temperatures.

Along the humid coastal belt these trees will produce long red-brown aerial roots as another interesting feature.

Once established in the garden, the tree does not take a great deal of water and can be held on the somewhat dry side.

In my garden I have not seen any pests that will set up housekeeping on Metrosideros, so it’s a real winner in my book.

Although fairly hard to find, if you are interested I can supply you with fine specimens of these trees from 24- to 48-inch boxes.

So if you’re looking for a little of down-under Christmastime in the beginning of our summer, consider the New Zealand Christmas Trees and keep that holiday spirit throughout the various seasons.

As Roger says, “Remember to always plan before you plant.”