Apart from being beautiful trees, lemon as a fragrance is also known to trigger memories and lift spirits. Many studies reveal the science behind scent. Unlike all other senses, our brain relays scent straight to our emotion centre bypassing the thalamus, making it a powerful stimulator of emotion attached to memory, and in particular early memories. Because lemon as a fragrance is used extensively in household products, as a popular flavour in cooking and occurs naturally in the Australian bush, it is no wonder it serves as a mental anchor for us.

LEMON-SCENTED TREES UPLIFT THE OUTDOORS

Australia is home to some of the world's most aromatic native lemon-scented trees. Their value in the landscape and in suburban gardens is therefore both iconic and functional as street trees, front yard features and defining screens. But as we now know, they can also tap into the intrinsic, be highly warming, welcoming and spiritually positive. Designers and Landscapers often look to instill visual and sensory qualities in their landscape projects, making Lemon-Scented Gums a favourite inclusion. With the development of compact ‘dwarf varieties which grow smaller but with the same fragrant attributes as the parent, these trees are now highly sought after.

SPECIALITY TREE'S TOP SELECTIONS FOR LEMON SCENTS

Walk under a row of Corymbia citriodora after rain and the lemon scent is bright and unmistakable. This tree creates a visual landmark on a rural property with acreage. It is a large tree growing to 20m tall, with white to grey coloured bark. It is loved by birds and bees and a food source for koalas. Corymbia citriodora is not a species known for limb drop but being a big tree, the risk of small branches dropping is a reality with trees of this size. It is highly drought and heat tolerant when established. This is the parent tree.

More suitable for urban use, there are a number of fabulous options:

• Corymbia citriodora ‘Scentuous’: A very popular selection. Growing 7m tall x 4m it is more oval in form than its parent and works brilliantly planted in multiples for a dense yet soft screen. Planted along a residential driveway, it provides the same lemony sensory sensation. Its truck is smooth and mottled too but pinkish in colour which is a variation on the original. Leaves remain green and narrow and highly aromatic. It is ideal as a feature tree near a patio, courtyard or outdoor entertainment space for year-round fragrance and shade in summer.
• Corymbia citriodora ‘Lemon Essence’: This dwarf variety grows 6-8m tall x 6-8m wide with a more rounded form when fully mature. It has a smooth trunk, slender lemon-scented foliage and beautiful smooth trunk of the parent tree. This variety also has attractive pinkish bark so is considered a close substitute to ‘Scentuous’ only in a more rounded form.
• Corymbia citriodora ‘Baby Citro’: This is a third variation to consider growing 6m tall x 6m wide. It has the same attributes in fragrance, smoothness of trunk and slender foliage as the others but with a rounded form like ‘Lemon Essence’ and a white trunk like the parent tree.

All options carry the slender lemon-scented foliage and are drought and heat tolerant when established. 

Stepping away from gums but within the native category, Speciality Trees has recently added Lemon-Scented Tea Tree - Lephospermum petersonii ‘Lemon Frost’ and 'Lemon Hedge’ to their range. These are ideal for lemon fragrance in a smaller space where dense hedging is desired under 2m tall. Easy to clip, these trees are perfect for encouraging birds and bees in the garden all the while hedging paths and borders and providing structured privacy from neighbours. Often a feature of beach landscapes, they adapt well to most coastal or sandy soils.

Like with most things, using too much of something can be overwhelming so consider the space you have before committing to multiple lemon-scented trees.

Love the lemon scent? We do too. And the decision to plant lemon-scented trees in greenspaces couldn’t be more Aussie.

Visit Speciality Trees via the links below to learn more