The silvery-leafed eucalyptus is one of the most-loved foliage choices for florist arrangements. Bouquets often skip the blooms and just go for eucalyptus as a bold, wonderful-smelling statement. While most of us don’t have the space for full-sized eucalyptus trees, you can still grow this beautiful plant. Let's explore the mighty world of eucalyptus and how to get one in your home or landscape.
Travel just a little bit of Australia, and you will see just how many varieties of the iconic Eucalyptus trees there are. They have names that show off their features, like the ghost gum with its pure white bark, the squiggly gum, with patterns covering the bark like a child passed by with a crayon, or the rainbow gum, with its stripy bark in all the colors of the Australian landscape.
These giant trees are also the main habitat for Australian wildlife and the only diet of the koala. The leaves of eucalyptus are extremely toxic to most animals, but koalas can eat up to 2 pounds when they are not sleeping for 18 hours a day. Funnily, they are picky eaters, choosing only 50 types of the 800 eucalyptus varieties available to them. Because of bushfires and human intervention, koalas are losing their habitat rapidly.
Eucalyptus in Australia even has its own national day. March 23rd is National Eucalyptus Day, to raise awareness of the importance of these trees in Australian culture.
In the US, eucalyptus varieties are prized for floral arranging, offering crisp scents and beautiful gray-blue shades that offer a perfect foil for colorful flowers.
This article will give you an outline of how to grow eucalyptus at home, with some fascinating characteristics and features along the way.
The more than 800 varieties of Eucalyptus belong to the Myrtle family. These can vary in size from small shrubs of a few feet. Medium trees can grow to 33 feet in height, and giant trees may reach more than 300 feet.
The majority of the varieties of eucalypt in Australia grow in massive native forests, with others cultivated for gardens and as indoor plants. A few others grow in Malaysia and the Philippines.
In many other countries, it is an introduced species – particularly the blue gum tree Eucalyptus globulus – for its ability to grow fast and produce excellent wood as a timber crop.
One of the downfalls of using gum trees as a crop is the staggering amount of water they need each day. One tree can use up to 200 gallons of water a day.
They also produce compounds called allelopathic chemicals, much like black walnut trees, that leach into the soil and inhibit the growth of any other plants nearby. You will often see monocultures of eucalypts because of this factor. It’s not surprising, then, that many countries have declared them alien invasive plants.
The bark of eucalyptus trees varies greatly between varieties. Some are smooth, Some rough, some mottled, some stripy in many variations of color. The bark peels back each season to reveal what’s underneath. These look like the squiggles of a moth making its way up the trunk, turning to a lighter green, bright yellow, or orange tinge that transforms its look. This peeling bark is one of the characteristics of the species. Some bark will peel back in long strands, giving it an iconic look.
The leaves are the main source of essential oil and emit the famous fragrance when you crush them. The leaves of younger trees are round with no stalks. They mostly range from blue-green to blue-grey to silver in color.
Before planting any eucalyptus tree in the garden, consider the following:
Some varieties have been declared invasive in states like California and Hawaii, with other states doing investigations into the species. In other parts of the world, they are also a problem plant and, in some countries, they have been banned.
Their allelopathic tendencies may be harmful to plants in the vicinity of the tree, which may leave some bare, unproductive patches in your garden.
Most varieties grow big, so you will need enough space for them to grow.
Finally, certain varieties use up a lot of water and nutrients from the soil.
If you are willing to look past all that, let’s look at how to grow them outdoors. Alternatively, skip to the part where you can grow them in containers indoors.