Quick Growing Alternatives to Brittle Austree

Recently, the newly introduced Austree has been gaining much popularity as a fast growing privacy screen tree. However, it has also been garnering quite a bit of press for it’s less than desirable attributes.

Advertised as being capable of growing twenty feet in just one season, the Austree – or Aussie Tree – seems the ultimate in instant gratification. Yet weak, easily broken limbs, the need for near constant water and perfect fertilization, high susceptibility to pests and disease, and short life span are being reported more and more. Aussie trees have not been around long, and therefore not much can be said for how they do long term, other than that several customers have reported complete death of Austrees in less than five years.

Instead, opt for a tried and true privacy screen, such as the Thuja Green Giant, Leyland Cypress, or Willow Hybrid. You can expect 3-5 feet of growth per year from Thuja or Leyland, and between 6-10 feet of growth from the Willow Hybrid. While that may be a far cry from 20 feet in one season, it’s well worth the investment of time to plant a privacy screen of beautiful, long lived trees that will survive and thrive.