Eucalyptus ‘Summer Beauty’ and ‘Summer Red’

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I know some people think that the Grafted Eucalyptus ficifolia Flowering gums are getting a little bit common, and in some respects I tend to agree. However, it is with very good reason, as whenever I see one in flower it still takes my breath away, they are just so amazingly beautiful!

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And not only good to look at they are very useful too, great for privacy screening, perfect for small gardens and they have excellent form.  In the image above you can see a perfect Eucalyptus ‘Summer Beauty’ specimen, with a strong straight trunk and dense canopy and also covered in blossoms.

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Opposite was a Eucalyptus ‘Summer Red’ just getting ready to burst into flower, see the huge buds at the top of the canopy? ‘Summer Red’ seems to be the later flowering of the grafted Eucalyptus ficifolia, sometimes not flowering until almost Autumn, so keep that in mind when choosing a grafted gum. These two trees fit perfectly in this tiny front grade in the back streets of Lilyfield and the birds were enjoying them immensley.

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The trees in this case were underplanted with plenty of shade loving grasses, making for a very simply planting pallette perfect for the tidy cottage.

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Kath Gadd

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Comments

16 responses to “Eucalyptus ‘Summer Beauty’ and ‘Summer Red’”

  1. Nicki

    Hi.
    How tall will the summer beauty grow?
    I’d like it to be the only plant in my front yard and want it as a feature. My house is at Ipswich Qld.
    Is this plant hard to get in Qld? Do they all grow into a canopy?
    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Nicki,

      ‘Summer Beauty’ will get to 5 or 6 metres tall, you can prune them yearly if you want them to be maintained at a smaller height. Otherwise they will spread to have a wide canopy of around 3 to 4 metres,

      Best Wishes,

      Kath

      Reply
  2. Isoble Anderson

    Hi, I have a mature Summer Beauty (approx 9 yrs old). It has flowered reliably and profusely year after year and this year semed to be no different so far. It is now covered in buds, but very fiew of them are opening. Not doing anything different as regards water/fertiliser. Is there some pest that could cause this?

    Hope you can help, Best wishes, Isobel

    PS, I live in Townsville, North QLD

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Isobel,

      Have you seen the buds open up to flower yet? Pests could be adding stress to the Euc, but usually these are visible (e.g. damage to leaves or there are some fungal diseases that can cause buds to disfigure). If you’ve been keeping a close eye on it, it could be due to other factors such as weather or soil health. It takes a lot of energy for the plant to put on a flower display and if it doesn’t have the resources to do so in a particular year it might just decide to give flowering a miss.

      All the best,

      Reply
  3. Roxana

    Hi,

    Wondering what the root system of the Summer Beauty is like and whether it will be problematic being planted closer to our house (around 3m away) and quite close to driveway and paths/front concrete fence? Thanks so much!

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Roxana,

      Usually the main roots remain in the drip zone (the area under the tree branches at maturity). I wouldn’t put it anywhere where the drip zone will extend over pipes but 3m away from the house seems like it will be okay.

      All the best 🙂

      Reply
  4. Tammi

    Where can Summer Beauty be purchased? Having a hard time finding a nursery…

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Tammi,

      If you’re in the Sydney region try Sydney Wildflower Nursery in Heathcote. Otherwise see my other blogpost here about native nurseries across Australia that might be able to help:http://malleedesign.com.au/native-nurseries-across-australia/

      Goodluck!

      Reply
  5. Michael Hauville

    Hi,I have summer red 3year old app 1.2mtrs high has been going great just survived an extremely wet year, heaps of buds 3 opened then the leaves turned yellow then brown and the remaining buds shrivelled up. A ideas on what has caused this ?

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Michael,

      I would be patient and wait until next year. Younger trees sometimes get ready to flower then pull out at the last minute, especially if conditions have been difficult. It takes a lot of energy for a tree to put on a big flower show, it will likely have another go next year when it has more resources and hopefully we will get better weather!

      All the best,

      Reply
  6. Jim

    Greetings, I planted two grafted ‘miniature’ flowering gums approximately six years ago in Coffs Harbour, one red and one orange. I believe they were both of the ‘Summer Beauty’ variety. Both have grown well and are approximately three metres in height. The issue is that neither have ever shown buds let alone flowered. Any ideas?

    Reply
  7. Hank

    Just wondering the life span on these? Keen to plant one in my garden in Canberra

    Reply
  8. Louise

    Greetings
    I have a 3 year old “Summer Beauty” which appears very healthy and happy planted in a sunny protected garden in southern coastal Victoria. It has flowered every year in May. Any reason for such late flowering?

    Reply
  9. Carolyne

    Hi, I have bought a summer red and I was going to plant in my backyard but I am now worried the ground is too heavy rock hard clay. I do have a spot out the front but it’s only about 2 metres from the driveway and I am wondering about the roots and if that is a potential problem?. It’s far enough from the house and on a slight slope so better drainage than the back. If I plant out the back I could possibly build up the soil with a border and plant slightly raised up but worried about it being too wet. I love in central QLD on the coast. Any advice would be much appreciated.

    Reply
  10. Jas

    Im having so much trouble with these guys growing in my garden. I lost the first one literally the day after planting (it’s was a really hot day that day). I then lost a second one that stayed good for a week or 2 then copped a 35degree day in full sun and went crispy. I had a 3rd one (I really really want them!) And it looked like it was drying out so I dug around it only to find the root ball basically in a slop puddle of water from the rain. I’ve now got a 4th one and added a bit of aggregate to the bottom of the hole, native fertiliser mix and more sandy loam soil and planted it a bit higher up. It’s still not looking good. ???? why is this so hard!

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Jas, how often are you watering the plants?

      Reply

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