Chinese Elm Ulmus parvifolia

Chinese Elm carries a broad, slightly weeping crown of small glossy toothed leaves, a fine texture that is unusual on a tree of this scale. The trunk is the giveaway: older bark sheds in irregular flakes to leave a patchwork of grey, olive and rust that keeps improving as the trunk widens. Growth is moderate to fast, which is why it fills car parks, school grounds and avenue plantings where canopy is wanted within a few seasons rather than a few decades.

Giving the roots and the crown enough room

It takes full sun and moderate water, handles heat, wind and compacted urban soil, and grows across most of the mainland from Brisbane south. In warmer districts the leaves hang on late into winter and then drop over a short window instead of colouring gradually, so do not plant it expecting a reliable autumn show. Soil can be clay or sand as long as water moves through it, and the tree is not fussy about fertility. Along a driveway or a footpath, set the trees far enough apart that the crowns can spread without meeting, because this one goes wider than people picture.

The failure mode is planting it hard against paving. Chinese Elm runs a strong surface root system, and a tree set tight to a kerb, a narrow path or a pool surround will lift the concrete within a decade. Give it a generous volume of open soil to run in, keep it back from the edges of hard surfaces, and it will outlast most of what goes in around it.

Chinese Elm or English Elm

English Elm throws root suckers well away from the trunk, which is a chore in a lawn and irrelevant in a paddock or a long park avenue, and it is the elm that elm leaf beetle goes after hardest. Chinese Elm suckers far less, carries beetle damage better, and has the finer foliage and the patterned bark, which makes it the more sensible choice for a suburban block, a school or a commercial car park. Choose English Elm for scale and period character on acreage. Choose this one where the tree sits close to buildings and people, and where you want something to look at in winter.

Shaping a young Chinese Elm

Prune in late winter, when the flaking trunk and the branch structure are both easy to read. Young trees branch low and willingly, so lift the crown in stages over several seasons to the clearance you need over a path or driveway rather than removing large limbs at once. Thin crowded interior growth and settle on a single leader early. Established trees respond better to taking whole branches back to a union than to shortening them. A balanced slow release fertiliser in spring is plenty, and deep watering through the first two summers is enough to settle it. Watch for elm leaf beetle and treat before the second generation strips the canopy. More options under elms.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 6 sizes, from 330mm up to 500L, priced from $149.00 to $4289.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to choosing a tree for a small backyard.