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east coast mallee eucalypts
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Posted by fififi z 10 NSW (My Page) on Sat, Jan 22, 05 at 21:35
| I need to replace a tree in my garden with a euc. that has a tree or mallee form, but most importantly only grows to 4m (power lines above). Has anyone got obtusifolia or luehmanniana or any other east coast performer growing in their garden- (not indigenous to their area.) I'm trying to assess height of non-endemic species. Anything form Hawkesbury sandstone soil seems to grow where I am (Illawarra foothills -sandy loam). I want to get my selection right to avoid having to remove another tree in the future. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: east coast mallee eucalypts
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| Hello fififi Eucalyptus curtisii from SE Qld is a mallee that will grow about that height in SE Qld in heavy clay. Cheers,
Frank |
RE: east coast mallee eucalypts
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| From my observation over a good many years, nearly all the east coast mallees will grow a lot taller in garden conditions than they do in he wild. I think it is mainly the absence of fire that causes them to grow as single-stemmed trees. Your best hope for a mallee under 4 m might be E. cunninghamii, or possibly E. sturgissiana in the unlikely event that that rare species is obtainable. As for E. curtisii, I have seen a number of trees of this around Sydney that have reached closer to 8 m than 4. It is certainly an attractive and interesting species and adapts well to gardens. It's possible that you might be able to induce the multi-stemmed mallee habit by cutting off the main stem after 2-3 years growth near ground level to cause coppicing, thus simulating the effect of periodic fires in the wild. The 'blue mallee' that grows near Bendigo and harvested there for oil distillation (I forget its name just now) is treated in just this way; also species such as E. gunnii and E. pulverulenta grown commercially for cut foliage. |
RE: east coast mallee eucalypts
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| I planted E leuhmanniana (not listed as indigenous for my address but is nearby) 4-5 years ago with a view to coppicing. It's grown more slowly than expected and nearby plants have grown a bit putting the lignotuber in shade, so I didn't want to risk coppicing. As it was lean and lanky I took the top off at 2.5 metres couple of years ago to keep it in reach and give it some shape for the time being. The soil is heavy clay with lots of leaf litter starting to build up.......any thoughts on the best time to coppice. |
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