She oak

If you like Australian native plants, and particularly if you like attracting native birds to your garden, think about planting a she oak. They have woody, barrel-shaped cones containing slender, winged seeds which birds like Glossy Black Cockatoos and Red-browed Finches love to eat. Willie Wagtails, Pee Wees and Butcher birds all favour she oaks as nesting trees.

The casuarina shown in our segment was the Forest Oak or Rose Oak (Allocasuarina torulosa), which has long been a favourite in Australian gardens. This handsome, graceful tree grows naturally on the coastal ridges and slopes of the tablelands of New South Wales and Southern Queensland. It reaches about 15m (50') tall, and will tolerate most soils, and quite a degree of salinity. In autumn and winter the fine, drooping branchlets turn a rich burgundy colour, contrasting with the young green foliage and deeply furrowed bark. Allocasuarina torulosa grows best in the warmer areas of Australia, but is worth a try in sheltered microclimates in Adelaide, Melbourne and the mountains.

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