Most popular trees and large shrubs of 2024-25

By Daniel Fuller

Nursery businesses are always interested in what plants are popular in the market because this information can help them make informed choices for what to stock. According to Ozbreed’s data from the 2024-25 financial year, here are the Australian trees and large shrubs that showed the biggest demand through our nursery networks based on unit sales.

Syzygium australe ‘SAN01’ PBR Trade Name Straight and Narrow™: A psyllid-resistant columnar tree or hedge that can be grown in full sun to moderate shade. It is a good option for specifiers when there’s a small footprint with variable sunlight, such as behind a fence in a courtyard.

Callistemon viminalis ‘CV01’ PBR Trade Name Slim™: An extremely tough survivor, used in bioswales and roadsides. Phytopthora root rot and myrtle rust resistant, so it is not as likely to die from these common bottlebrush killers.

Tristaniopsis laurina ‘DOW10’ PBR Trade Name Luscious®: Extremely popular tree when you consider that it sells more units than many tufts and groundcovers that would typically have higher numbers specified in a single project.

Westringia hybrid ‘WES01’ PBR Trade Name Naringa™: A tall variety that can be used as a screen, which is not common for this genus. A fastigiate growth habit means it grows more upward than outward, leading to less maintenance to keep it off pathways.

Acmena smithii ‘DOW30’ PBR Trade Name Sublime™: Lime green new growth against glossy mid green mature foliage with abundant flowers and rarely any berries. Specified where berries are undesirable, such as along pathways where berries can cause slips and falls.

In the last financial year, we also saw strong demand for exotic trees and large shrubs. The following were the most popular, and as you will see our viburnums, bred for specific functions, have really struck a chord, especially in the retail market:

Viburnum odoratissimum ‘VOC1’ PBR Trade Name Dense Fence™: As the name suggests, this variety grows quite densely, ideal for larger screens and windbreaks.

Viburnum odoratissimum ‘VOQ1’ PBR Trade Name Quick Fence™: Growing faster than the previous form, this variety does not grow quite as wide. However, it grows wider than the new, incredibly narrow Viburnum odoratissimum ‘VOT1’ PBR Intended Trade Name Thin Fence™ which has already exploded in sales even though it was only released this year.

Rhaphiolepis indica ‘RAPH01’ PBR Trade Name Cosmic White™: Abundant large flowers, glossy dark green leaves and high performance are what make this variety popular. It takes full sun, drought, frost, flooding and even moderate shade.

I hope that this information is useful for planning your stock lists for spring this year. Your next biggest seller may be in this list. Check our new release plants which will be of interest this spring.