Lichie Tree

Lychee Tree (Young Fruiting Tree)

Bring a taste of the tropics to your garden with a lychee tree. Known for their sweet, fragrant fruit with a juicy, translucent flesh, lychees are a favourite across South Africa — and growing your own is more achievable than most people think.

Lychee trees do well in South Africa's subtropical and warm temperate regions, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga. They prefer a warm, humid summer and a cool, dry winter to trigger flowering. Once established, a mature tree can produce impressive yields year after year.

Growing tips:

• Plant in full sun with good air circulation
• Prefers deep, well-drained, slightly acidic soil
• Water regularly during the growing season; reduce in winter
• Protect young trees from frost until established
• Trees typically begin fruiting 3–5 years after planting

A rewarding tree that pays dividends for decades.