Top 10 Wind Tolerant Trees

Wind gives landscapes their character and keeps gardens interesting. The right trees turn gusts from a problem into an asset by creating movement, sound and layered shelter that improves microclimate and privacy. Select species that tolerate salt, shed wind and root deep; give them smart establishment care and they’ll reward you with resilient structure, shelter for other plants and low-maintenance form for decades. Think planting in groups and tiers rather than singles so wind becomes filtered and garden rooms are created, not battered.

Top 10 Wind Tolerant Trees:

  1. Corylus colurna – Turkish Hazel
  2. Prunus Yedoensis – Yoshino Blossoming Cherry
  3. Pyrus calleryana ‘Aristocrat’ – Ornamental Pear
  4. Ulmus hollandica ‘Lobel’ – Upright Elm
  5. Zelkova serrata – Japanese Elm
  6. Cordyline australis – NZ Native Cabbage Tree
  7. Griselinia littoralis var. – NZ Native Broadleaf/Kapuka
  8. Pseudopanax ferox – NZ Native Sabre-Toothed Lancewood
  9. Podocarpus totara ‘Matapouri Blue’ – NZ Native Blue Totara
  10. Sophora tetraptera – NZ Native Larger-Leaved Kowhai

Wind Tough Champions

Deciduous

Corylus colurna 45lt Jan 2025

CORYLUS colurna – Turkish Hazel

Wind tolerant avenue tree with an upright symmetrical habit, featured cork like trunk and strong roots that resist steady gusts; firm, slightly lobed leaves and rigid branching reduce wind sail while Spring yellow catkins and later nut clusters add seasonal interest; grows to 8 x 4 metres. Salt tolerant.

PRUNUS Yedoensis – Yoshino Blossoming Cherry

Wind tolerant street and garden tree with a compact vase to spreading form and flexible stems that shed gusts; known for almond-scented white flowers in early Spring and Summer foliage that turns orange then true Autumn red, hardy for Southland, Central Otago and Canterbury. Grows to 5 x 4 metres.

Prunus Yedoensis Hanley Farms - Sept 2024
Pyrus Aristocrat - Hanleys Farm - Sept 2022

PYRUS calleryana ‘Aristocrat’ - Ornamental Pear

Strong branching habit and pyramidal crown give this cultivar good structural resilience in urban windy sites. Fast-growing specimen to 6–8 metres, useful as a focal tree that also helps shelter lower planting.

ULMUS hollandica ‘Lobel’ - Upright Elm

Narrow, columnar form and strong wood make this elm a reliable street or avenue tree in wind-affected sites. Tolerant of salt wind and urban exposure, reaches around 15 x 8 metres and provides a tall wind filter for streets and parks and attractive avenue.

Ulmus Lobel - Queenstown Feb 2018
Zelkova serrata - Millbrook - Dec 2023

ZELKOVA serrata – Japanese Elm

Wind tolerant courtyard tree with a graceful spreading habit, strong branching and well‑spaced lance‑shaped leaves that reduce wind sail; flexible stems and a sturdy root system give resilience in exposed sites; Autumn foliage shifts from green to red, purple and orange; hardy Deciduous grows to 8 x 6 metres.

Evergreen

CORDYLINE australis – NZ Native Cabbage Tree

A naturally wind-resilient, architectural Evergreen that flexes rather than breaks in gusts. Excellent for coastal and breezy inland shelter belts or avenues and for adding vertical texture behind lower planting. Also known to be a great bank stabiliser with its deep, quick growing root system. Mature plants tolerate salt spray and poor soils, reach 4–8 metres depending on exposure.

Cordyline australis - Kelvin Heights Queenstown - Oct 2011
Griselinia shaped - Millbrook - April 2025

GRISELINIA littoralis var. – NZ Native Broadleaf/Kapuka

Wind tolerant Evergreen for shelterbelts and hedges, Griselinia littoralis has shiny dark green leathery foliage and a dense, low‑sail habit that blocks and buffers prevailing gusts; its sturdy branches and deep roots give structural resilience in exposed sites while responding well to trimming, and it remains hardy and grows to 3 x 2 metres.

PSEUDOPANAX ferox – NZ Native Sabre-Toothed Lancewood

Architectural, downward-facing leaves reduce wind resistance and damage, making this cultivar well suited to exposed sites. Very tolerant of exposed coastal conditions when established, works well in native groupings or as an accent in wind-prone gardens. Slow to moderate growth to about 3 metres.

Pseudopanix ferox - Queenstown - May 2022
Podocarpus Matapouri Blue hedge - Waikato - August 2018

PODOCARPUS totara ‘Matapouri Blue’ – NZ Native Blue Totara

Wind tolerant Evergreen with a tidy formal habit, Matapouri Blue combines dense, low‑sail foliage and a strong trunk and deep root system that resist steady gusts, making it superb for formal effect, specimen plantings or hedging and reaching about 6 x 3 metres.

SOPHORA tetraptera – NZ Native Larger-Leaved Kowhai

Wind tolerant Native tree with an upright vase shape, sturdy trunk and flexible branches that shed gusts; open canopy and small leaflets reduce wind sail; large golden bell flowers in early Summer attract tūī and bellbird; semi‑deciduous in harsh Winters and grows to 5 x 3 metres.

Sophora tetraptera 35lt Oct 2015

Choose wind-tolerant species that suit your site, plant them in layered groups rather than singles and give young trees careful establishment care so roots and structure develop quickly. With the right mix of Evergreens and Deciduous specimens, regular formative pruning and mulching, and attention to salt and drainage, you’ll turn windy exposures into dynamic, sheltered garden rooms that require little maintenance and reward you with long‑lasting character and habitat.
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