Prune me! I am Eucalyptus pulverulenta!

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This is without a doubt one of my favourite small Mallee Eucalypts, it is a very malleable mallee 😉 it responds so well to pruning that if you don’t prune it you are almost doing the plant a disservice.
These photos were taken at the Arboretum in Canberra where there is a stand of Eucalyptus pulverulenta ‘Baby Blue’ on either side of the main building which are regularly lopped. This simulates what they do in the cut flower or foliage industry and this Eucalypt just loves it.

In the image above you can see the lopped trunks and branches re-shooting but also the plant is stimulated to shoot from the base.

The new growth of Eucalyptus pulverulenta tends to be quite striking in the way it grows horizontal giving it a wonderful sculptural element to the garden, I love the simple palette here with the fine grey leaved Lomandra understorey.

If you choose not to prune this species it will still look wonderful just in a different way, in the image below you can see it allowed to spread out its branches naturally.

I have blogged about this species before and you can see more images of it here 

So of course it is all about personal taste when you are maintaining your native garden but I think this is such a fun species to play with and so forgiving when pruned that I would say go for it! It is very satisfying watching those new shoots spring from the clear trunk.

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Kath Gadd

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Comments

32 responses to “Prune me! I am Eucalyptus pulverulenta!”

  1. Kirsti

    Hi,
    Photos look fantastic. Is baby blue a dwarf variety or is there only one type pulverulenta?
    Confused from information on various sites.
    Regards
    Kirsti

    Reply
  2. Kanako Wong

    Hi,
    I’m looking for baby blue tree I can buy in NSW.
    Do you sell it?
    Or do you know where I can buy ?
    I researched online but every shop say “out of stock”…
    Your tree is looking amazing!!

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Kanako,

      Sydney Wildflower Nursery has them in stock, give them a call 9548 2818,

      Best Wishes,

      Kath

      Reply
  3. Jaime

    Hi, I am planning to plant one near my cupressus semperivens, 1.2metres spacing. Does this variety has aggresive roots as ,it happens with common eucalyptus?

    Many thanks!

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Jaime,

      I would try to position it further away than 1.2 metres, as it has quite a spreading habit and needs more room to achieve its stunning shape. The root system is not particularly aggressive compared to other larger Eucalyptus species.

      Best Wishes,

      Kath

      Reply
  4. Jules

    Hi Kath

    Great pics! I like the soft and simple grassy underplanting. Do you know what it is?

    Cheers

    Jules

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Jules,

      It is a Lomandra cultivar, my guess would be something like ‘Mist’ or ‘Shara’.
      Best Wishes,

      Kath

      Reply
      1. Jy

        Hi Kath! If I were to plant the baby blues in my front garden, how much spacing should I leave between them? Also, do you do a heavy prune to create the long straight branches close to the ground? Or are they actually two trees in a small spot? Love your site btw.

        Reply
        1. Kath Gadd

          Hi Jy,

          The Eucalyptus should grow the horizontal low growing branches naturally by themselves. I would space them 5 metres apart if you want to see thier unusual habit and 2 metres apart if you are trying to make a screening hedge.

          Enjoy!

          Kath

          Reply
          1. JY

            Thanks Kath! ive planted them 2m apart. but i would love to create the thick trunk and minimal branches off the main couple of trunk look like in the 2nd photo on this page. How would you recommend the pruning regime to be like? The side branches are starting to overtake horizontal space and i am not sure if i should cut them off.

          2. Kath Gadd

            Hi Jy,

            This Euc does love a prune so you can take off side branches that have formed in places where you no longer want them. If you want an affect like the second photo take off all the branches except those near the top.

            Happy pruning,
            Kath

  5. Jordan Lanz

    Is it possible to keep this eucalyptus trimmed back to keep it small as a bush or very small tree?

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Jordan,

      The cultivar Eucalyptus pulverulenta ‘Baby Blue’ can be within 3m x 3m with regular pruning but I think it would be hard to keep it any smaller than that as a small tree.

      Best of luck,
      Kath

      Reply
  6. Rachael

    Hi Kath,
    You have helped me identify these stunning trees at the Arboretum.
    I am aiming to pop one in our front garden – when would you lop the top off to get the desired sculptural shape?
    Thanks for the photos and information!

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Rachael,

      After it flowers or in Autumn are the best times to prune.

      All the best,
      Kath

      Reply
  7. Graham

    Hi Kath. Is it necessary to train one of the horizontal branches on my little Baby Blue to create a trunk, or will it just do that by itself? I want a mop top look with a defined trunk.
    Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Graham,

      A trunk should form naturally. To create a ‘mop top’ look just continue to prune off the lower branches as it grows.

      All the best,

      Reply
  8. Sue

    Hi,
    I have a few eucalyptus for floral arrangements. It is now the end of July in Tamworth NSW. Is it possible to coppice them now? A lot of leaves got eaten last summer and I made the mistake of planting them too close. Would love to prune them and get them started for the season. Thanks for your help.

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Sue,

      If they’re currently flowering and you, the birds and insects are enjoying the blossoms you might want to wait until flowering finishes. Otherwise, go ahead!

      All the best,
      Hannah and Kath

      Reply
  9. Brigitte

    Is there eucalyptus like baby blue that will grow south east Queensland. I love the foliage for floral arrangements
    Thanks
    Brigitte

    Reply
  10. Matthew

    I am wishing to contact plantation growers of Eucalyptus pulverulenta and Euc Bay Blue. I need to be able to access older trees which have
    significant quantities of seed on them.

    Reply
  11. Reece

    Hi Kath, do you know whether I could grow the eucalyptus pulverlurenta in a container? It would be in a very hot sunny spot. I’m trying to get some shade plants on a large paved area in full sun – quite difficult!
    thanks for any help, Reece.

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Reece,

      Yes you could grow pulverulenta in a large pot for maybe 5-8 years happily enough, it is quite hardy but how hot it hot? In a pot it will not grow as large as it would in the ground. Make sure you use well draining native potting mix, as it’s roots don’t like wet feet.

      All the best,

      Reply
  12. Lama Bassuoni

    Hey!
    Thankyou so much for talking about this queen.
    I got a baby tree from a nursery that’s less than a meter high, but it’s not growing in branches at all.
    How do I encourage the side branches and foliage growth?

    Thanks
    Lama

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Lhama,

      How old is your tree? It may just take a little more time to develop its side branches. Also make sure it’s in a sunny position. If it’s in shade it will be more likely to grow vertically in search of sun.

      All the best,

      Reply
  13. Hilary Rutledge

    Hello! Fabulous blog!
    Visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne on the weekend we discovered this stunning species – they’ve got an incredibly sculptural example in a bed of banksia groundcover. Feeling inspired, it’s now going to be the feature tree in our front garden!
    Thank you for all the advice about pruning. I’ll be looking to buy a 35l pot, but most I have seen are single-trunked. As it ages, will the lignotubers automatically send up additional trunks?
    Look forward to hearing your advice!
    With thanks
    Hilary

    Reply
  14. Liz

    Hi Kath, thanks so much for all the info and photos on this page. When cutting the branches back, should I be cutting on any particular angle?

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Thanks Liz,

      You should always prune tree branches on a diagonal angle so the moisture doesn’t sit on the freshly cut branch and cause fungal disease.
      Happy pruning,
      Kath

      Reply
  15. Bec

    Hi Kath,

    Do these drop a lot of leaves? I’m looking for something native to replace some trees that we have removed but don’t want anything too messy.

    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Bec,

      I wouldn’t consider these particular big leaf droppers.

      Best,
      Kath

      Reply
  16. Tylah

    Hi,

    I wanted to plant several of these along my driveway but am struggling to find information on the best time of year to plant them?

    Thanks!

    Reply
  17. Warwick

    Thanks for sharing. The photos I’ve recently plated a couple of these. Bunninhs is selling the. Quite cheaply

    Reply

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