edenhana

Rimu

One of New Zealand's iconic native conifers, extremely slow-growing and extremely long-lived, individual trees can live for over 600 years. Young rimu have a distinctive juvenile form, fine, hanging, bronze-green foliage that looks quite different from the more upright, denser canopy of a mature tree, so don't expect a young specimen to look anything like the adult form for many years. Essentially a legacy planting rather than a quick garden feature, most home gardeners will never see their own tree reach anything close to its eventual size, but it needs very little care once established.

Sun
partial sun
Water
moderate
Spacing
600cm
Difficulty
beginner
Grows in
Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury
Mature height
15m
Attracts wildlife
Kererū, Tūī
Evergreen
Yes

When to plant by region

In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: March-April and September-October. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast and Christchurch / Canterbury: September-October.

Growing stages

  1. Planting & establishmentAutumn or spring

    • Choose a spot with moist, well-drained soil and part shade, particularly while the tree is young
    • Allow for significant eventual size when choosing a position, even though full growth takes many decades
    • Water regularly through the first couple of summers to help roots establish

  2. Juvenile growthFirst 5-10 years and beyond

    • Expect fine, hanging, bronze-green juvenile foliage that looks quite different from the mature tree, this is completely normal
    • Growth is extremely slow by garden standards; don't mistake this for poor health
    • Little maintenance is needed beyond occasional watering in dry spells while young

  3. Maturing form

    • Foliage and habit gradually change to the denser, more upright mature form over many years
    • Generally trouble-free, with few significant pests or diseases affecting home-garden specimens
    • Continue allowing space for the canopy to spread as the tree slowly thickens

  4. Long-term maturity

    • A genuinely multi-generational tree; even mature garden specimens are young by the standards of old-growth forest rimu
    • Fruit on mature trees is attractive to kererū and tūī, though this is typically many decades away
    • Needs essentially no ongoing care once well established, beyond keeping the base clear of competing weeds

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