September 12th, 2026Beetham’s Botanicals
Well here I am again penning another article for you, the reader, to enjoy…
This time I’ve chosen conifers to focus on…so sit back and open your mind to the world of these ancient plants.
Without trying to blind you with science, gymnosperms (which includes conifers) pre-dated the evolution of flowering plants known as angiosperms, and their botanical history has been well plotted over the centuries.
Let’s start, once again in alphabetical order, with Austrocedrus chilensis (Chilean cedar) that hails from Argentina and Chile.
1.This fine evergreen tree (see image top) can reach over 20m in its native habitat and has a strong link with other Gondwanaland species.
2. Metasequoia glyptostroboides (dawn redwood) is a stately endemic Chinese deciduous tree (see second image) that, in the right cultural conditions, may soar to over 30m in height, retaining a pyramidal habit along the way. Thought to be extinct in the wild, it was rediscovered at a temple in China in the late 1940s and subsequent seed was sent to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK which then, after successful germination, distributed plants all around the world.
3. Pinus radiata (Monterey pine) must be one of the most controversial tree species in Australia and yet it has been classified as endangered in its native range of central California and close by Mexican islands. Unfortunately weedy in our native forests there is a grand specimen growing in the Blackwood Sports & Recreational Reserve that defies imagination – see third image.
4. Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant redwood) has the honour of not only being one of the oldest but also the biggest of any single tree on the planet. The image seen at fourth right is the champion “General Sherman” tree. So many amazing statistics here you’ll just have to google it…
5. Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi pine) was only discovered as recently as 1994 in an isolated gorge not far from Sydney in NSW. It lit the botanical world alight and can now be found growing in both public and private gardens (see fifth image)all over the globe.
Of the five species featured above only one, the dawn redwood, is deciduous but for some (more) stunning autumnal colour try searching for these: larix kaempferi (Japanese larch), pseudolarix amabilis (golden larch) and taxodium distichum (swamp cypress). They make fine specimens in their own right but could be planted as copses and do particularly well planted near water.
Cheers John Beetham
Trading as Trees in Australia – 0418 375 708.
Next time: October plant highlights.
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.
