Tupelo Nyssa sylvatica Afterburner

Autumn is the whole argument for tupelo, and Afterburner is the selection made to take the guesswork out of it. Where seedling Nyssa sylvatica varies through oranges and yellows, this clone was chosen for dependable scarlet, and for a tighter, more upright pyramidal outline that holds its shape without much help. Through summer the foliage is dark and notably glossy, which is unusual in a deciduous shade tree. It suits feature planting, courtyards and any spot where autumn colour is the reason for the tree.

Cool districts, damp ground and the trouble with lime

Full sun to part shade both work, water needs are moderate, and growth is slow to moderate, so this is a tree you plant at the size you want. Cool climates bring the strongest colour: Victoria, the ACT, the southern tablelands, the Adelaide Hills and the cooler south west all suit it, and the display is weaker where autumns stay warm. Unusually for a good autumn tree, it copes with ground that stays wet, since in its native range it grows in low, poorly drained country. Alkaline soil is the problem instead, and it is the failure mode here. On limey ground, or where builders' rubble and concrete washings have raised the pH, the leaves go yellow between the veins, growth slows and the autumn display never arrives. Test the soil before planting, keep it away from fresh render and concrete edges, and correct with compost and sulphur rather than fighting it every season. Tupelo also resents root disturbance, so move the rootball intact, plant at the depth it was grown, and do not tease the roots out the way you would with a hardier tree.

Scarlet, gold or blossom

Set against Lemonlime Spire Ginkgo, which is narrower, slower again and turns clear yellow, tupelo is the broader tree with the hotter colour and the better tolerance of damp soil, while ginkgo shrugs off alkaline city ground that would leave tupelo yellow. Manchurian Pear gives spring blossom and autumn burgundy at a faster rate, but it needs pruning to keep its forks safe. Pick tupelo for scarlet in a cool garden with heavy or damp soil, ginkgo for a narrow formal column, and pear for scale and blossom in a hurry. In a courtyard where one deciduous tree has to carry the whole year, tupelo also wins on summer foliage, since the glossy dark leaves look deliberate rather than filler until the colour turns. All three appear in the advanced trees range.

Almost no pruning, and the fertiliser that matters

Prune in late winter while the tree is dormant, and keep it minimal. Remove any competing leader early so the central stem stays dominant, take out crossing or damaged wood, and leave the leader itself alone, because shortening it costs the pyramidal outline for years. Stake only if the site genuinely demands it, and allow a couple of settling seasons before expecting much extension growth. Feed in early spring with a complete fertiliser suited to acid-loving plants, and on marginal soil use chelated iron as a stopgap while you work the pH down. Mulch well and keep the root zone cool, since a hot dry surface is what dulls the autumn colour on an otherwise healthy tree.

Choosing a size

This plant is supplied in one size, 45L, at $299.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to choosing a tree for a small backyard.