Plant Care Guides / Outdoor & Coastal / Trees
Indigenous (endemic to the South African coast) | Easy Care | Small tree / large shrub
If you need a tough, evergreen, medium-sized tree that will grow right next to the sea and barely notice the wind, this is the one. The coastal camphor bush is a dense, bushy shrub or shapely small tree with aromatic grey-green leaves that are silvery-white underneath and smell of camphor when crushed.
The cottony white seed heads, which appear after the modest cream flowers, give the tree a distinctive look and are dispersed by wind and water along the coast. It grows naturally in dune forests and coastal bush from the Western Cape through to KwaZulu-Natal, and it handles salt spray, wind, drought and poor sandy soil without complaint. It is tailor-made for St Francis Bay gardens, especially in exposed, wind-battered positions where other trees refuse to grow.
1 to 8 m, depending on exposure and conditions. In a garden setting, typically 3 to 5 m. Multi-stemmed with a dense, rounded crown.
Moderate.
Windbreak, screening, hedge, coastal garden feature, dune stabilisation. Excellent for exposed positions.
Full sun. It thrives in open, exposed positions.
Grows happily in the sandy, nutrient-poor, alkaline coastal soils we have here. No special preparation needed, though a little compost at planting time helps.
Water regularly during the first year to establish. Once settled, it is properly drought-hardy and needs very little supplementary water.
Minimal. A light feed in spring while young is enough. Mature trees do not need feeding.
Prune to shape or to encourage a single trunk if you want a tree form rather than a multi-stemmed bush. It responds well to pruning and makes an excellent clipped hedge.
Ask about availability. We keep a changing range of trees and large shrubs. WhatsApp us to check what is currently in stock, or visit the nursery and we will help you choose the right tree for your spot.
