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Pohutukawa

Metrosideros excelsa

A coastal tree at heart, and a big one — twenty meters tall by fifteen across where it is happy.

Light Full sun, on the coast or in a sheltered position inland.
Water Regular water while young; dry spells stop troubling it later.
Height 20 m
Spread 49 ft 3 in
Spacing 1500 cm

Spacing & sowing

Plant spacing
49 ft 3 in
In-row spacing
49 ft 3 in
Between rows
61 ft 6 in
Square-foot density
Not suited to SFG

Growing

Type
Tree · Perennial
Botanical family
Mixed / other
Sunlight
Full sun, on the coast or in a sheltered position inland.
Watering
Regular water while young; dry spells stop troubling it later.
Feeding
Compost mulch in spring; actual feeding is rarely called for.
Frost tolerant
Yes
Flowering
June
Pruning
Shape it lightly while young and barely touch it after that.

Through the year

  • Mar–Jun Bud Break
  • Jun–Oct Flowering
  • Oct–Dec Dormancy
  • Jan–Mar Dormancy

Pests & problems

Garden allies

Beneficial predators that hunt this plant's pests — grow their favourite flowers nearby to recruit them. companion plant

  • Hoverfly Syrphidae
    Hunts Scale insects

    Bee-mimicking flies whose legless larvae graze aphid colonies clean while the adults pollinate. A ribbon of shallow, nectar-rich flowers kept in bloom all season recruits wave after wave of them.

    Plant nearby CalendulaChamomileFennelFrench marigoldPhaceliaSweet alyssum
  • Ladybird (lady beetle) Coccinellidae
    Hunts Scale insects

    The gardener’s favorite ally: adults and their alligator-shaped larvae each eat thousands of aphids, plus scale, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied sap-suckers. Grow flat, open flowers for the adults and never spray a colony that ladybird larvae are already working.

    Plant nearby CalendulaCilantroCosmosDillFennelYarrow

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