Cider Gum

Eucalyptus gunnii

• Position: full sun
• Soil: neutral to slightly acidic soil that doesn't dry out
• Rate of growth: fast-growing
• Flowering period: July to October
• Flower colour: white to cream, but not often seen in Britain
• Other features: usually grown with multiple stems as it seemsto cope with strong winds better
• Hardiness: borderline hardy

  
  A magnificent tree with flaking bark in shades of grey, cream, green and brown. It has silvery-blue, rounded young leaves which give way to long, glaucous, sickle-shaped adult foliage. It is probably the most well-known gum in this country as it is often seen in milder garden, where it is completely hardy except in abnormally cold winters.
  

• Garden care: Requires minimal pruning if grown as a tree, removing any broken, diseased or crossing branches in late autumn or winter. For the best juvenile foliage, prune in early spring cutting back the stems to two or three buds above the base. When planting incorporate lots of well-rotted garden compost in the planting hole and stake firmly.
  
  
• Goes well with: Berberis thunbergii 'Harlequin', Cotinus 'Grace', Rosa glauca, Pittosprum tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb', Eryngium variifolium, Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue', Artemisia 'Powis Castle', Salvia officinalis Purpurascens