August 15th, 2026Beetham’s Botanicals
Well here I am again penning another article for you, the reader, to enjoy…
This time I’ll be featuring somewhat unusual ornamental fruiting trees and shrubs for the garden.
So let’s start (in alphabetical order) with one of my favourite maples:
1. Acer fabri (Faber’s maple) is a medium-sized evergreen tree native to central and southern China and Vietnam that produces masses of burgundy coloured fruits known as samaras around December. This photograph was taken at the Bogle Arboretum in Hoddles Creek.
2. Aucuba japonica ‘picturata’ (spotted laurel) grows as a medium-sized evergreen shrub of garden origin that can reach 1.8m with similar width and is prized for its variegated foliage and stunning glossy red fruits that ripen in autumn. This image was taken in a courtyard garden at the Empress Hotel, Victoria on Vancouver Island, Canada.
3. Dodonaea viscosa (broad-leaf hopbush) is a tallish evergreen shrub growing to 3m that is native to Africa, the Americas, southern Asia and Australasia that can be covered in winged papery capsules ripening from October through to January. This image was taken in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.
4. Magnolia grandiflora (southern magnolia), hailing from southeastern USA, is a well-known large evergreen tree that, through maturity, can grow to 15m with a similar width. Mostly grown for its amazing highly scented large creamy white flowers, I have included it here for its orange “Smartie” like seeds that pop out from the fruiting body. This image was taken in our home garden in Hepburn.
5. Tasmannia lanceolata (mountain pepperbush), an Australian native from southeast New South Wales, eastern Victoria and Tasmania, is an evergreen variable- sized shrub from around 2m to 7m high with distinct leathery leaves that when chewed yield an initial mild taste followed by a slow, hot, peppery kick favoured by bushwalkers. This species is dioecious meaning there are both female and male plants so be careful when choosing your stock if you want to get the bold reddish-purple berries that were once used as a pepper substitute. Only the female will produce the berries and so the label at the nursery of purchase should indicate this. This image was taken in a nursery in Daylesford.
So there you have it…five quite different taxa that can add colour and horticultural interest to the home garden.
Cheers John Beetham (trading as Trees in Australia 0418 375 708)
Next time: The World of Conifers.
Scan the QR code to see JB’s Instagram post…
Do you have a gardening question for John? He is happy to answer them whether they are about trees, shrubs, the best time to plant, the best time to trim back… Email news@tlnews.com.au and we’ll make sure he gets them.
