5x Golden Totara - $9.99 each

Podocarpus totara ‘Aurea’

Common Names: Golden Tōtara
Family: Podocarpaceae
Origin: New Zealand
Plant Type: Evergreen Tree / Large Shrub

Overview:

Podocarpus totara ‘Aurea’ is a golden-foliaged form of the iconic New Zealand tōtara, prized for its striking year-round colour and refined, upright habit. With its soft golden-green needles and tidy form, this tree offers both structure and seasonal brightness to landscapes. It's a fantastic feature tree, hedge, or native contrast plant in formal or naturalistic gardens.

Key Features:

Foliage: Soft, needle-like foliage emerges in vivid golden tones, especially prominent in full sun. Colour may deepen to lime-green in lower light. Evergreen and dense in habit, offering year-round colour and screening potential.

Flowers / Fruit: Non-showy reproductive cones typical of podocarps; occasionally bears small red fleshy fruit (on female plants), which are attractive to native birds.

Form & Habit: Upright and conical to columnar in shape. Can be left to grow naturally or clipped for formal hedging or topiary.

Growth Rate: Slow to moderate – slower than green tōtara, but steady once established.

Cultural & Ecological Value: As a cultivar of a native species, it supports native biodiversity and offers habitat for birds when mature. Its golden foliage makes it ideal for contrast plantings in native or mixed gardens.

Mature Size:

Ideal Growing Conditions:

Frost Tolerance:
Yes – Hardy to around –8 °C once established.

Landscaping & Garden Uses:

• Feature Tree / Specimen Plant: Golden colour and formal shape make it a striking centrepiece

• Hedging / Screening: Can be clipped into formal hedges or narrow screens

• Native & Restoration Gardens: Excellent native alternative with added ornamental value

• Contrast Planting: Pairs beautifully with darker green natives like Griselinia, Coprosma, or Pittosporum

• Containers / Courtyards: Suitable for large planters or confined spaces when clipped

Care & Maintenance:

Pruning: Prune in late winter or early spring to maintain shape or height. Withstands clipping well if grown as a hedge or column.

Watering: Regular watering during establishment (first 2 seasons), especially in dry summers. Once established, drought-tolerant in most soils.

Feeding: Apply a slow-release fertiliser in spring for best colour and growth. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilisers.

Pests & Diseases: Very few issues. Occasionally watch for scale or mealybug in overly humid or shaded areas.

Additional Tips: Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Best colour achieved in full sun and with good air flow.

Fun Fact / Botanical Insight:

The tōtara (Podocarpus totara) is one of New Zealand’s most revered native trees, traditionally used by Māori for carving waka (canoes) and meeting house carvings. The ‘Aurea’ cultivar brings that heritage into ornamental gardening with a bright golden twist.

Why Choose Podocarpus totara ‘Aurea’?

Combining native resilience with ornamental elegance, Podocarpus totara ‘Aurea’ is a standout tree for gardeners seeking colour, form, and ecological value. Whether as a golden specimen, native hedge, or formal screen, its slow, steady growth and manageable size make it a garden favourite.

Pot Size:

These are our large size in 9cm square pots.