Eucalptus gunni

[sam140]

What is the growth rate of this plant. I put 3ft plant in the ground end of April.
Should i feed and water it often, it is planted on a bank in mostly clay soil in full sun.

[Adrian]

These are extrememly fast when they get going.
I used to pollard mine then once let it run and kept 3 to 5 trunks and in the end I needed a tree surgeon to come and get rid of it at a cost of something like £130.
They can be kept to a nice smallish bush but you need to keep on top of it to do so.
Best when given the room to do its own thing but beware if planting in a lawn, the roots will run and cover quite an area and they will push up through the lawn.

Ive found these pics from 2004 the same year they were cut down (blimey how the front garden has grown in that short space of time)

[Adrian]

Heres another I found, not showing it properly but you can see the growth it made in a matter of months after being cut had down to the ground (the only photo I can find with it showing younger growth) .
Younger leaves are better for colour.

[Dave Brown]

Hi Sam, I have 2 Eucalyptus in my front garden....... globulus ( Blue Gum) and gunnii (Spinning Gum) Of the 2 gunnii is the slower growing maybe 3 to 4 feet a year, whereas globulus is around 6 to 8 feet a year. Having said that and looking at Adrian's pics maybe the gunnii is less drought tolerant, and has been more restricted here as like Ade's front garden mine is rarely watered, but I have less rainfall generally. Both Euckys have done far better in the cooler, wetter summers of 2007/8 than they did in the drought summers of 2004/5

Here is a pic before the front garden revamp in 2003. The second year seedling Blue Gum is circled yellow, and the 10 or so year old Spinning Gum is circled red.

Here is roughly a same shot in April 2009

This is a shot of the Blue Gum in June 2009, with the Spinning Gum just in front to the right with the more green drooping leaves.
The Blue Gum is in full flower now and with the Cordyline makes this a Bee Heaven at the moment.

[sam140]

Thanks for your excellent comments

[Conifers]

Pinus patula behind in Dave's photos? Or something else?

[Dave Brown]

It's a Montezuma Pine if that fits with the Latin name, Conifer

[Conifers]

It's a Montezuma Pine if that fits with the Latin name, Conifer

Thanks! . . . Hmmm . . . Montezuma Pine is Pinus montezumae, but that doesn't fit your pine too well! Branches too slender, needles too pendulous on yours. It'll be one of the other warm temperate Mexican pines, if not P. patula, then maybe P. pseudostrobus. Too much to hope that it has any cones on I guess? Unfortunately that group of pines are notoriously shy at coning in the British climate. A close-up of the foliage would also help, please.

[Dave Brown]

Was told it was Cloud forest pine from Mexico and hates Chalk, I didn't tell them I lived in Chalk Long needles, seems to produce pollen but no cones.

[Conifers]

Cloud forest counts out P. montezumae too, it is from drier areas. More likely P. pseudostrobus then.

The chalk would account for its somewhat off-colour yellowish-green foliage. P. pseudostrobus should be a nice rich green.

Are the needles mostly in 5s? What length?