How to grow a eucalyptus tree
Providing shade, privacy, an invigorating aroma from their crushed leaves and a pleasant rustle, eucalyptus trees and shrubs are becoming a much more common sight in UK gardens as we look for sustainable alternatives to native favourites such as oak and horse chestnut.
Hailing from Australia, the Eucalypt is a hardy plant that has adapted to wildfire, drought, and blazing sun. In fact, according to Forests Australia, the government’s forestry agency, about three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalyptus forests.
With more than 700 species varying from petite shrubs to towering trees, eucalyptus can be both an impressive statement in the ground – once planted, they are not keen on moving – and an interesting plant in a pot.
Melanie Hick, a garden designer from Melbourne, Australia who now lives in London, where she owns her own company, Melanie Hick Garden Design, uses eucalyptus in her clients’ gardens to help create beautiful yet sustainable gardens – with climate change at the forefront of her designs.
“Eucalypts add beautiful, glaucous colour and great leaf texture to a garden, so there is one for everyone garden lover,” she says.
At RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival (Tuesday 2nd – Saturday 7th July), Melanie will be exhibiting her ‘Climate-Forward Garden’, a design peppered with bright pops of colour that can be used as a template for real gardeners across any sunny front garden in the UK, whether we’re in the midst of flooding or drought.
One of the stars of the ‘Climate-Forward Garden’ is the Eucalyptus Mount Bogong, specifically chosen as a perfect example of a small eucalyptus to grow in UK gardens.
How to grow eucalyptus in pots
With attractive peeling bark and distinctive blue-green, silvery or glossy green leaves eucalyptus make a strong visual impact grown in a pot in a garden or a terrace or balcony.
If you’re planning to grow eucalyptus in a pot, choose a dwarf or medium variety, warns Melanie, or pruning will take over your life.
For this reason, she recommends picking a ‘snow gum’ such as Mount Bogong for pots, as this kind of eucalyptus, has developed a small stature through bearing the weight of heavy winter snow in the Australian Alps: “I like to choose multi-stem specimens, because it’s such an elegant look”, Melanie adds. Snow gums often have clusters of small white, yellow or red flowers too.
Make sure there is plenty of room in the pot for your eucalyptus. Melanie recommends a pot that’s two or three times the size of the plant’s root ball. If your pot is going on a balcony, you’re looking for a lightweight but sturdy design that won’t be too heavy, nor blow over in strong winds because eucalyptus can become ‘toppy’ and catch the breeze.
Choose a well-draining potting mix so your eucalyptus’s roots don’t become soggy. Find the sunniest spot in the garden for your new addition, and make sure it’s not in the shadow of a larger tree, awning or gazebo, Melanie says, or its growth could be stunted.
Can you grow eucalyptus in the UK?
Yes, and that’s down to our changing climate, says Melanie. “As the weather in the UK becomes hotter in the summer, and possibly wetter with harsh winters, we will likely find that plants which can adapt easily to environmental change will thrive the most,” she explains.
If growing in containers, some varieties – such as France Bleu, known as a drought-tolerant dwarf eucalyptus - might like to be moved to a sheltered spot over winter, Melanie says.
Her top tip for over-wintering eucalyptus trees in pots? “Raise up containers onto ‘feet’ or bricks, to ensure that the plants don’t sit in damp, cold compost all winter. That’s a real killer for Eucalypts.”
Can eucalyptus survive UK winter?
As eucalyptus trees originate from Australia, some varieties don’t deal well with the cold, but there are two that do.
These more resilient varieties are Eucalyptus gunnii (cider gum) and Eucalyptus pauciflora ssp. niphophila (snow gum) – both of which can cope in UK winters without the need for frost protection.
Where to plant and how tall they grow
Always pick a well-drained, sunny spot to plant your eucalyptus. Avoid cold, damp and water-logged sites.
“Some eucalyptus varieties can grow very tall – in fact the tallest in the world grow to around 100m,” says Melanie. “So carefully choose your variety before buying. Check the potential height of the variety you’re planting to ensure that it doesn’t completely take the garden over.”
For example. Eucalyptus gunnii, known as cider gum, is a common variety that can easily tower more than 12 metres above the ground, according to the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society).
In the UK, Melanie tends to plant ‘snow gums’ (Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. pauciflor) because they are slower-growing than other varieties and usually stay on a small to medium scale – for eucalyptus, at least. The RHS recommends Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila a snow gum that grows between four and eight metres tall.
How to prune a eucalyptus tree
“Not all Eucalypts need pruning, but if we have had lots of sun they will put on growth,” says Melanie. “Choose the late winter through to the early spring to prune a eucalyptus tree, just before shrubs begin to grow again.”
For standard trees, in the first year, Melanie shares the following pruning advice:
You may like to cut away all side branches from the lower third of the main trunk, being careful not to cut this branch itself.
Take off around half of the branches around the middle third of the tree
Leave the top third of the tree alone, other than taking off any dead or damaged stems.
Then in the second year, remove the branches that were halved and halve the branches that were sitting on the top third of the tree the year before. In effect you are moving the pruning up the tree year by year.
Eucalyptus troubleshooting tips
“Unfortunately, there are some pests that like eucalyptus plants just as much as we do,” says Melanie.
“Look out for the Eucalyptus Longhorned Borers, which are a type of beetle that can cause extensive damage to eucalyptus trees. These pests feed on bark and wood, creating long tunnels that weaken a tree. Signs to look out for include wilting leaves, stunted growth, and sawdust around the base of the tree.”
Melanie also warns than there are several fungi that can cause eucalyptus tree diseases: “Look out for especially for canker, which begins by infecting the bark and then moves to the inside of the tree. Leaves turn yellow and drop, and it is common to see eucalyptus trees dropping their branches as the disease takes hold.”
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