Buy Eucalyptus trees from King and Co online or from the Nursery in Rayne.
There are many varieties of Eucalyptus trees, but we tend to stick with the proven Gunnii variety for our UK climate.
They can be a useful tree for screening as they are evergreen and hold their leaves all year round.
Eucalyptus leaves on younger trees are round, have no stalks and bright blue-green. As the tree ages the leaves produced are long and slender, produced on stalks and although still blue-green in colour they are toned down in brightness. The smooth bark is also a grey-blue colour and peels in strips to reveal creamy-yellow patches.
Small white flowers are produced in clusters close to the stems of the outer branches and form into small, hard, round seed pods.
Eucalyptus can grow quite large and should be placed away from buildings as the roots can dry out the soils.
Some varieties such as Gunnii ‘Azura’ are bred to have a smaller mature size and are more suited to garden planting or even planting in large containers. They can be pruned and kept as a large bush and pollarded once older. Pruning will encourage lots of young growth with the brighter, smaller, round leaves ideal for flower arranging.
Eucalyptus need a sunny site, away from exposed areas with freezing winds through winter. To grow best they require a free draining soil and will not cope with heavy waterlogged soils.