Happy National Eucalypt Day! Eucalyptus leucoxylon ‘Euky Dwarf’

, , , ,

Happy National Eucalypt Day everyone! I really hope you were able to appreciate a Eucalpytus tree today at the very least, or possibly able to plant one?

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now”
― Traditional Chinese proverbs, one of my favourite quotes.

If you weren’t aware of National Eucalypt Day you can find out more here NationalEucalyptDay This day is set aside to celebrate and embrace this incredible Genus – Five things you might not know about Eucalypts:

  1. Eucalypts are the tallest flowering plant on Earth.
  2. Eucalypts give Australia much of its colour and smell.
  3. Eucalypts demonstrate what makes Australian environments efficient.
  4. Eucalypts are the great survivors.
  5. Eucalypts are the greatest recyclers of CO₂ and key to how this continent responds to greenhouse gas emissions.

You can read the full CSIRO article here

I am going to talk about one of my favourite small Eucalyptus trees that are perfect for planting in the garden where there are height restrictions. This is Eucalyptus leucoxylon ‘Euky Dwarf’, a small tree growing to approximately 7 metres high.

The tree in these images has been in the ground for about 4 years and is about 5 metres tall. It is planted in a heavy clay soil in part shade where the coastal winds come ripping through year round, hence the remaining stakes. It is also frost tolerant.

This beautiful small weeping tree forms a soft canopy that is good for screening and the prolific flowers attract many different bird and bee species. It will attract lorikeets like the Musk Lorikeet and Purple-Crowned Lorikeet as well as honeyeaters.

‘Euky Dawrf’ also grows well in full sun and sandy loam soils, and can cope with temporary inundation around its root zone, it develops a mottled peeling bark of varying colours which is also very showy and adds to its feature tree capacity.

‘Euky Dwarf’ also looks great planted in a copse or group where the decorative bark can be quite dramatic en mass.

This pretty little tree is a great street tree which just fits under power lines and is not a problem branch dropper and as it is not grafted there is no problem of it growing into a giant if the graft fails. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Posted

in

, , , ,

by

Kath Gadd

Tags:

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Comments

27 responses to “Happy National Eucalypt Day! Eucalyptus leucoxylon ‘Euky Dwarf’”

  1. Rachel

    Hello Kath
    I am thinking about planting a group of these on my street verge which is approx 10 metres wide – what is the closest they can be planted together?
    Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Rachel,

      I think that would look wonderful, I would plant them around 3 metres apart,

      Best Wishes,

      Kath

      Reply
  2. Leonie

    Hi Kath
    On your recommendation we just planted two Eucy Dwarf eucalyptus trees in our Canberra garden. What time of year should these trees be fertilised and pruned (if this is needed to shape the habit)?

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Leonie,

      The Euky Dwarfs don’t really need to be pruned in my opinion, unless you wanted to lift their canopy by removing some of the lower branches. This should be done after they finish flowering.

      Hope this info helps,

      Kath

      Reply
  3. Lyn Millikan

    Hi Leonie I have a Euky Dwarf which I planted about 1 year ago. It is about 1 metre tall and vey healthy looking. I was wanting to transplant it into a different area of my rural property so I’m asking if this is possible and if so the process in doing so. Thank you.

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Lyn,

      Eucalyptus species generally won’t transplant successfully, especially if they have been in the ground longer than 3 months.
      It would be a better idea to buy a new specimen and plant it in the desired position,

      Best Wishes,

      Kath

      Reply
  4. Anu

    Hi Kath,
    5years ago, after a major landscaping update, we planted a Euky dwarf (now 2.5 m tall) approx 3.5 meters from the house. We are experiencing changes to our foundation levels and in recent structural inspection
    they are suggesting that this tree is aggressively seeking moisture and drying out the foundation contributing to instability. Next to Euky is Westringia which is 1m away from the foundation.
    Do you think their roots get aggressive?

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Anu,

      What is the spread of your ‘Euky Dwarf’ usually the roots remain in the drip zone of the tree, have you dug around to investigate where the roots actually go? will the canopy eventually go over your roof?

      Our house is a little old owner built shack and they put the piers straight on the ground, we have a clay soil so when there is extensive dry or wet periods the whole house moves a bit, meaning some doors and windows don’t open and close properly 🙃 On top of this I have 3 mature Eucalyptus trees, 2 of which are about 3 metres from the house…… all of these factors are definitely affecting our foundations as the house sits under the canopy of all three trees and the soil moisture levels are in constant flux even without the trees…
      Not sure what the relevance of my story is to yours 🤪 however, if you are worried about the foundations being destroyed it might be a good idea to move the tree, I can’t imagine the Westringia roots would be having much impact.

      Best Wishes,

      Kath

      Reply
  5. Dan

    Hi Kath, do you know if people have much success getting Eucy Dwarf to adopt a mallee form? Cheers D.

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Dan,

      I haven’t seen or heard of anyone trying, but I don’t see why it would be difficult.
      If you pruned it hard to encourage growth from the lignotuber when it is young it should develop a multi-trunked Mallee habit.
      Alternatively you could train the new stems with bonsai wire or weight them to force them to spread low and wide.
      Love to hear how you go,

      Kath

      Reply
      1. Matt

        Can you tell me if growing euky drawf. Does the seeds also fall and reproduce baby euky plants? Would like to know? Cause I just planted one in my yard and it’s only 3 month old, I’m concern.

        Reply
        1. Kath Gadd

          Hi Matt,

          I don’t imagine Euky Dwarf will be particularly invasive and haven’t observed seeds establishing near it myself. If you want more concrete answers try Autraflora, the original breeders here: https://austraflora.com/contact/

          All the best,

          Reply
  6. Ann Yates

    Hello Kath. I’m going to plant more Eucy Dwarf trees. Is there any advantage in purchasing and planting advanced specimens?
    Regards…Ann

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Ann,

      There is not really much advantage with buying advanced species of Eucalyptus, unless they are grafted. They grow so quickly it is better to buy them small so the planting shock is less dramatic.

      Happy Gardening,

      kath

      Reply
  7. Katrina Alford

    I planted a euky dwarf on a local easement opposite us. UNderstand roots dont spread beyond drip zone but COuncil is snaky about it & wnats to remove it. Local Gov area Geelong. They only allow ornamental pears!!!!! (shockers). Do I have a case to put that euky dwarfs are far better.

    Reply
  8. Lesley

    Hi Kath
    I have a eucalyptus leucoxylon dwarf grown from seed and currently 0.5 metres high in a pot and am wondering how it may go in a large pot as a small feature tree? I could put it in the ground however, it would be within a metre of either a concrete driveway or a low sandstone wall. Would appreciate your thoughts please?

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Lesley,

      You could probably grow Euky Dwarf in a large pot successfully for a few years but it will become root bound and unhappy eventually. If there’s soil under your concrete drive or sandstone wall you could probably plant it in the ground without trouble, but you’re right the roots will need somewhere to spread.

      Up to you!
      Kath 🙂

      Reply
  9. Elizabeth D

    I planted two of these last year. The first one was in June and the second one in October. They were advanced trees. The younger one, to my surprise, flowered prolifically last winter. It now has tiny buds all over it again. The older tree is in a partly shaded position south of a paling fence. It’s growing well, and the top of it is now in full sun, but had hardly any flowers last year, and I can see no flower buds starting this year either. Can I assume it will start flowering properly as it gets more sun? Or could it have a problem that means it won’t ever flower prolifically?

    Reply
  10. Beck

    I am planning on planting a euky drawf in my backyard and was wondering what the root system was like and will it attack house plumbing/waterpipes?

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Beck,

      Usually the 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 it is a great tree to have if you can keep it a little away from those foundations.

      Best of luck,

      Reply
  11. Brodie

    Does anyone know/have experience with this gum on the Sunshine Coast Qld? How does it handle humidity?

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Brodie,

      Sadly no, Eucalyptus ‘Euky Dwarf’ hates humidity, it will tolerate some NSW coastal gardens south of Sydney, but I think QLD summers would be too much.

      Best,

      Kath

      Reply
  12. James

    Hi Kath

    Do you know of any diseases or pests affecting Eucalyptus leucoxylon? I planted one about 4 years ago in a full sun position that has grown to about 4-5 metres and has done well overall. Lately I noticed many of the smaller lower branches are devoid of leaves and it’s looking thin in many places. Many leaves have been partially eaten as well. Is this normal?

    Reply
  13. Brad

    Hi Kath,

    I have just planted a very young Euky Dwarf in my front garden close to some creeping ground cover grevilleas. Does euky dwarf drop oils that will kill plants under it like other types of eucalyptus?

    Kind regards,
    Brad

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Brad,

      I have never had any issues growing native groundcovers and shrubs underneath Eucalyptus ‘Euky Darf’.

      Best Wishes,

      Kath

      Reply
  14. David

    I planted a euky dwarf form a pot to the ground. It’s been 6onths and the plant has thrive and is about 1.5m high. How long does it take for the plant to flower?

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi David,
      It can take 1 to 3 years for this plant to flower, well worth the wait when it does happen.
      Many thanks,
      Kath

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related posts

Birdbaths designed for birds

Mallee Birdbaths are specifically designed to serve birds. The copper dishes are broad and shallow, allowing birds to land on the edge and walk into the water. The baths are modern, elegant and durable. They are locally made in the Illawarra (NSW, Australia) using materials that will weather well and last decades. For help on which dish to choose, go here.

Shop Birdbaths