Silver Trumpet Tree Tabebuia argentea

Silver trumpet tree grows into an irregular, crooked, picturesque thing rather than a tidy symmetrical dome, and that character is half the appeal. It flowers on bare wood: the leaves drop for a short spell in the cooler months, then the whole framework carries clusters of golden yellow trumpets before the new foliage appears. Out of flower the leaflets are a soft silvery grey green over corky, deeply fissured bark that develops early. Brisbane and Gold Coast streetscapes and car parks are full of it.

Heat, dry ground and a brittle framework

Full sun, free-draining soil and warmth are what it asks for, and once established it runs on low water, taking heat and long dry spells in its stride at a moderate rate of growth. Sandy and gravelly ground suits it. Frost damages young trees, so hold off in cold inland districts or keep it in a warm protected corner until the trunk thickens. The failure mode is wind on brittle wood. Planted in the funnel between two buildings, or on an exposed corner, this tree loses limbs, and because the branching is naturally uneven the damage never grows out neatly. Choose a sheltered aspect and build a balanced framework early rather than propping up a lopsided one later, and stake a young tree only until the roots take hold, since a trunk that flexes in light wind thickens faster than one held rigid. Two smaller points. Spent flowers make a slippery yellow layer on paving and pool surrounds, so keep it off wet edges. And young trees look gawky for several years before the crown fills out, which is worth knowing before you plant one as the centrepiece of a new front garden.

Yellow trumpets or pink, and who each suits

This is the tough one of the trumpet trees here. Compared with Tabebuia palmerii, which is neater in outline and pink in flower, argentea handles heat, poor soil and dry conditions better and looks far more sculptural out of season thanks to the silver foliage and corky bark. Tabebuia rosea is bigger again and wants a warm winter and better soil. Take argentea for a hot, open, low water site or a car park island, palmerii for a small tidy garden that wants pink, and rosea where there is room and the climate is genuinely subtropical. If the tree has to look presentable all year rather than for a fortnight in late winter, argentea is the one, because the silver foliage and corky trunk carry it through the other eleven months. Compare all three within flowering trees.

Pruning a tree that is meant to look crooked

Prune as soon as the flowers finish and before the new leaves harden, which is also when the branch structure is easiest to read. Resist the urge to straighten it. Remove crossing, rubbing and dead wood, take out any narrow fork that will split later, and leave the leaning, angular character alone, because a tree cut into a lollipop loses the reason you bought it. Feed lightly in early spring with a low nitrogen fertiliser. Rich feeding and constant irrigation give a green leafy tree that flowers poorly, which is the opposite of the point. Mulch the root zone and leave the trunk clear so the corky bark stays dry.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 6 sizes, from 200mm up to 400L, priced from $29.95 to $3309.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to choosing a tree for a small backyard.