A friend of mine claims that a nurseryman told her of a plant which will create an 'instant' (!) canopy. Naturally, she doesnt know the name of the plant (aaarrggh - women :)) ....

Fantasy plants aside, how long has it taken you to establish a canopy ? I know that there are a host of factors - rainfall, soil, climate - in addition to plant choice, but my guess is that 3 metres in 2.5-3 years is a realistic target for most palms and rainforest plants such as lillipillies. Growth rates vary : my Stenocarpus and Buckinghamia seem even slower, while I'm sure my Bambusa Oldhamii will take off after its first year in the ground.
With more regular rain, 18 months - 2 years could be achievable, but Bambusa is not a typical species in my garden. If I had known about the clumping varieties 12 months ago, things may have been different.

I'd be very keen to hear from anyone who has achieved faster results (under 2.5 years from a 6-inch pot) from natives - the two fastest growing trees on my block are both exotics. Plants from South Africa seem to like clay soil and hot, dry weather :)

PS I took said friend for a walk through the rainforest section of Kershaw Gardens, and she identified almost every tall sapling-like tree as 'the plant !', before dismissing it when some characteristic didnt fit her recollection of the 'instant canopy plant'. A question for the male members of the board - if you stumbled on a plant like this, wouldnt you *write down* the name of the blasted thing ?????

Apologies to the ladies on the board - I know that many of you are extremely competent and meticulous - but some of the fairer sex exasperate me in ways I cant fully enunciate :)

Cheers,

Artie

Delonix do very well in Rocky, but I dislike their tendency to kill everything underneath them, and their capricious root systems. The remainder are intriguing - from the photos I got from Google, they arent particularly attractive trees, but certainly seem to meet the 'fast-growing' criteria in spades. Its interesting that many of the plantation trees such as teak and balsa are rarely recommended as pioneer species, at least here in Oz - I assume that there must be a downside to growing plantation species in a domestic garden.

Thanks,

Artie

i remember in fiji, which is around the same longitude/latitude as cairns (or maybe townsville???), i went on a jungle trek, and we came across a few bamboo plants that were at LEAST four metres in height, and the tour guide said they were less than 18 months old...

but then again, bamboo doesn't really provide much of a canopy...

When I consider my 'perfect' plant, its a tough set of attributes to match:

* min 3m tall, and at least 2m wide, but not too large for my 700 sq m block
* fast-growing, but not a weed
* tough, but not a weed
* able to handle -2 C to 45 deg C, in full sun
* able to make the transition to part-shade when other plants begin to grow around it
* attractive foliage
* pest and disease resistant
* moderate water requirements

The closest thing that I've found to date is the humble lillypilly, although my Murrayas are also doing well. The most astounding discovery has been the change in my soil wrought by a little TLC - from baked clay to wonderfully crumbly, friable soil. To those who are struggling with heavy clay, dont lose faith - keep the compost and mulch up to it, and you'll be pleasantly surprised in 6-12 months.

Its interesting to find out that the Euodia and Macaranga, both trees that I was 'semi-aware' of, are fast growers. I have seen Cassia's described as environmental weeds on several sites, but the magnificent specimen in my neighbours yard is most welcome as its branches steadily find their way into my backyard. The ghost bamboo will need to wait - if I elect to move within the next 12 months (Rocky is tipped to 'take off' price-wise any day now :)), I'll definitely consider bamboo if I need a screen. Compared to native shrubs, its an expensive option, but you do get a lot of plant for your money.