Midstorey

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Red box Eucalyptus polyanthemos

When it flowers

Eucalyptus polyanthemos subsp. vestita, Christmas Hills, Victoria, Australia
Eucalyptus polyanthemos subsp. vestita, Christmas Hills, Victoria, Australia. Photo: Melburnian, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A dead Amyema pendula (Drooping Mistletoe) on a Eucalyptus polyanthemos (Red Box) located on Willans Hill Reserve in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.
A dead Amyema pendula (Drooping Mistletoe) on a Eucalyptus polyanthemos (Red Box) located on Willans Hill Reserve in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.. Photo: Bidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A dead Amyema pendula (Drooping Mistletoe) on a Eucalyptus polyanthemos (Red Box) located on Willans Hill Reserve in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.
A dead Amyema pendula (Drooping Mistletoe) on a Eucalyptus polyanthemos (Red Box) located on Willans Hill Reserve in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.. Photo: Bidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Medium gum with round, grey-blue leaves and creamy spring blossom.

A hardy tree from the dry slopes of south-eastern Australia, grown for its rounded, silvery grey-blue leaves, which florists also use. Masses of small cream flowers in spring bring in bees and honeyeaters.

In the garden

  • Feature plant
  • Windbreak
  • Shade tree
Flowers
Masses of small cream flowers.
Leaves
Round to oval, grey-blue leaves; bark rough or smooth and mottled depending on the form.
Attracts
Birds, pollinating insects and shelter for small wildlife

Growing conditions

Climate
Temperate and cool and alpine
Light
Full sun
Soil
Sandy, loam and clay
Drainage
Needs good drainage
Frost
Hard frost
Water
Very drought tolerant

Planting and care

Grown from
Seed

Planting

Full sun with room to spread; copes with poor, stony soil.

Pruning

Little pruning needed. Have an arborist remove weak limbs from older trees.

Care

No feeding needed. Water young trees through dry spells for the first two summers.

Safety

  • Can drop branches

Large gums can drop branches without warning, especially in hot, still weather. Keep it well away from houses, driveways and play areas.

Where it comes from

Family
Myrtaceae
Order
Myrtales
Native to
ACT, New South Wales and Victoria
Natural range
Dry hills and slopes of southern NSW, the ACT and Victoria.

Where to buy

Specialist native nurseries.

We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.

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Further reading

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