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seb's plants - welcome

Posted by EDITOR 15 Mar 2010 - 8:43:00 AM

A closer look at the ever-growing range of lilly pillies this week. Red Tip is a form of Acmena smithii var. minor that grows about 6m high. The Acmenas aren't as glossy and tropical-looking as the Syzygiums – the other main lilly pilly genus. The amount and appeal of flowers and fruit vary greatly across the forms and they're not a strength of Red Tip. That means there's little lost by pruning them off to maintain a hedged screen for a formal design and encourage flushes of the brilliant new foliage. Such fine leaves also hide clipping damage well and are good for topiary shapes. Best of all, the Acmenas are resistant to psyllid attack and came out of Sydney's 45oC scorcher a few years back better than the Syzygiums.