I love the look of these and would love to plant a pair next to each
other, or does anybody know the name/s of a native gum that has a tall,
ghostly, very white trunk? I would like to uplight/spotlight them from
the base once they're big enough.

We have enough room for something tall & we're in the North-East of
Melb. (Kinglake Ranges) so it's a cold winter here.

I looked at snow gums (don't know the real names of them) but their
branches come out too low to the ground for the look I'm after.

Also, should I get really small ones and wait... and wait or get more
established ones because I gather native trees don't like to be
disturbed too much?

Thanks, folks!

- L

Linda H wrote:

> I looked at snow gums (don't know the real names of them) but their
> branches come out too low to the ground for the look I'm after.

Prune the lower branches off. Snow gums usually grow short unless in an
established forest.
Ghost Gums?
scribblies, etc

sorry, don't know the scientific name. Try looking around some native
gardens
>
> Also, should I get really small ones and wait... and wait or get more
> established ones because I gather native trees don't like to be
> disturbed too much?

usual advice seemsto be start small. To do well, they need to get their
roots in and growing (slow growing period). If they have to support a
larger leaf mass, this can slow down establishment.

Linda H wrote:
> I love the look of these and would love to plant a pair next to each
> other, or does anybody know the name/s of a native gum that has a tall,
> ghostly, very white trunk? I would like to uplight/spotlight them from
> the base once they're big enough.
>
> We have enough room for something tall & we're in the North-East of
> Melb. (Kinglake Ranges) so it's a cold winter here.
>
> I looked at snow gums (don't know the real names of them) but their
> branches come out too low to the ground for the look I'm after.
>
> Also, should I get really small ones and wait... and wait or get more
> established ones because I gather native trees don't like to be
> disturbed too much?
>
> Thanks, folks!
>
> - L

I'd stick to the Snow Gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora - or is it Corymbia
pauciflora these days?) if I were you (unless, that is, you have a very
large block). Lemon Scented Gums grow very tall (> 25m) and stately and
drop their long (but very heavy) branches with unerring accuracy onto
your pool, your dog and your child! Oh, and occasionally onto your roof,
either car- or house-...

They're not recommended for home gardens, but in spite of this we
planted one at the bottom of our garden about thirty years ago. It is
exactly the beautiful specimen you imagine, but *very* messy in terms of
the leaves and branches it drops! Also, the effect is somewhat lost in
an ordinary suburban garden: you can really only appreciate it properly
from a minimum distance which seems (to me) to be greater than the
length of a house-block.

Having said all that, I can say the foliage is truly beautiful, hanging
in the typical 'gum tree' clustered bunches at the ends of slim,
graceful, white (and dropsical) branches. The blossoms are creamy and
bring lots of bees and insects and birds. The trunk is dead-straight,
ghostly white and the wounds from the dropped branches eventually make
good nesting sites for galahs etc. The scent of the foliage can be
detected on a warm summer breeze and is *delicious* when you crush a few
leaves in your hand!

Something tells me the Snow Gum might give you a similar, though more
manageable effect. The bark patterns and subtle colours are very
beautiful, although not the 'ghostly white' you mention above. I think
judicious pruning would give you the growth habit you want without the
great height and branch-dropping...

Other possibilities could be Spotted Gum or Flooded Gum, depending on
where you live, but I think these, too, will grow to fairly enormous
size over time. I reckon the Forestry Department or Greening Australia
could be good sources of info. Or, snoop about on the CSIRO website and
see if they have any alternatives for you?

HTH,

--
Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Trish Brown wrote:


> HTH,

It does; wonderful advice, thanks Trish & Terry. I know what I'm going
to do now.

L

"Trish Brown" <kawbrown [at] ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
news:442d272f$0$2105$5a62ac22 [at] per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
> Linda H wrote:
> > I love the look of these and would love to plant a pair next to each
> > other, or does anybody know the name/s of a native gum that has a tall,
> > ghostly, very white trunk? I would like to uplight/spotlight them from
> > the base once they're big enough.
> >
> > We have enough room for something tall & we're in the North-East of
> > Melb. (Kinglake Ranges) so it's a cold winter here.
> >
> > I looked at snow gums (don't know the real names of them) but their
> > branches come out too low to the ground for the look I'm after.
> >
> > Also, should I get really small ones and wait... and wait or get more
> > established ones because I gather native trees don't like to be
> > disturbed too much?
> >
> > Thanks, folks!
> >
> > - L
>
> I'd stick to the Snow Gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora - or is it Corymbia
> pauciflora these days?) if I were you (unless, that is, you have a very
> large block). Lemon Scented Gums grow very tall (> 25m) and stately and
> drop their long (but very heavy) branches with unerring accuracy onto
> your pool, your dog and your child! Oh, and occasionally onto your roof,
> either car- or house-...
>
Hey Trish .... cringe now ... I'm pretty sure they're Corymbias :) The
lemon-scented ones I would call Corymbia citriodora but I do recall the &*^%
taxonomists fluffing about with the names of that and C. maculata and I
dunno if they're now the same species or what the end result of the name
kerfuffle was.
....and ditto the branch dropping. Lovely trees but you don't want them
cropping their healthy-looking branches in the face of a stiff drink.... or
frown from a passing magpie (who knows why they just drop-em with no
notice).

> They're not recommended for home gardens, but in spite of this we
> planted one at the bottom of our garden about thirty years ago. It is
> exactly the beautiful specimen you imagine, but *very* messy in terms of
> the leaves and branches it drops! Also, the effect is somewhat lost in
> an ordinary suburban garden: you can really only appreciate it properly
> from a minimum distance which seems (to me) to be greater than the
> length of a house-block.
>
> Having said all that, I can say the foliage is truly beautiful, hanging
> in the typical 'gum tree' clustered bunches at the ends of slim,
> graceful, white (and dropsical) branches. The blossoms are creamy and
> bring lots of bees and insects and birds. The trunk is dead-straight,
> ghostly white and the wounds from the dropped branches eventually make
> good nesting sites for galahs etc. The scent of the foliage can be
> detected on a warm summer breeze and is *delicious* when you crush a few
> leaves in your hand!

Backhousia citriiodora smells just as yummy (and tastes good too) ... but
not as pretty I will admit.

>
> Something tells me the Snow Gum might give you a similar, though more
> manageable effect. The bark patterns and subtle colours are very
> beautiful, although not the 'ghostly white' you mention above. I think
> judicious pruning would give you the growth habit you want without the
> great height and branch-dropping...
>
> Other possibilities could be Spotted Gum or Flooded Gum, depending on
> where you live, but I think these, too, will grow to fairly enormous
> size over time. I reckon the Forestry Department or Greening Australia
> could be good sources of info. Or, snoop about on the CSIRO website and
> see if they have any alternatives for you?

Spotted gum is the C.maculata I'm talking about above .... dunno if
citriodora has been grouped with them or not ( I *know* they are different
IMO too but tell that to the taxonomists!), but they are very similar and do
also drop branches without warning.
>
> HTH,
>
> --
> Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Hope you and yours are well Trish ...
:)
Amanda

Linda,
You could look at a NT native E. Alba or White Gum - grows about 18m, but
may not be able to cope with Melb winter. But by far the best would have to
be the WA Ghost Gum - from the same genus as the snow gum Corymbia sp and
previously known as Eucalyptus papuana. There are a few different Ghost
Gums suited to different climates. But generally are very attractively
shaped trees, with intensely white bark, that glow in the moonlight.
Finding a cultivated one might be a challenge at your run of the mill
nursery - might need to go to a specialist Farm tree supplier.

Small is always best, they settle in much better and develop much better
root systems than pot bound larger specimens - they also adapt easier to
your local climate.

Cheers,
Geoff

"Linda H" <user [at] abuser.net> wrote in message
news:442c6da8$0$10676$afc38c87 [at] news.optusnet.com.au...
>I love the look of these and would love to plant a pair next to each other,
>or does anybody know the name/s of a native gum that has a tall, ghostly,
>very white trunk? I would like to uplight/spotlight them from the base
>once they're big enough.
>
> We have enough room for something tall & we're in the North-East of Melb.
> (Kinglake Ranges) so it's a cold winter here.
>
> I looked at snow gums (don't know the real names of them) but their
> branches come out too low to the ground for the look I'm after.
>
> Also, should I get really small ones and wait... and wait or get more
> established ones because I gather native trees don't like to be disturbed
> too much?
>
> Thanks, folks!
>
> - L

Have a look at this one
Geoff
http://ozoutback.com.au/postcards/postcards_forms/namatjira_ dve/Source/1.htm


"Linda H" <user [at] abuser.net> wrote in message
news:442c6da8$0$10676$afc38c87 [at] news.optusnet.com.au...
>I love the look of these and would love to plant a pair next to each other,
>or does anybody know the name/s of a native gum that has a tall, ghostly,
>very white trunk? I would like to uplight/spotlight them from the base
>once they're big enough.
>
> We have enough room for something tall & we're in the North-East of Melb.
> (Kinglake Ranges) so it's a cold winter here.
>
> I looked at snow gums (don't know the real names of them) but their
> branches come out too low to the ground for the look I'm after.
>
> Also, should I get really small ones and wait... and wait or get more
> established ones because I gather native trees don't like to be disturbed
> too much?
>
> Thanks, folks!
>
> - L

Geoff & Heather wrote:


> http://ozoutback.com.au/postcards/postcards_forms/namatjira_ dve/Source/1.htm

Gorgeous!


Thanks for the info in your other post, too, Geoff.

Re dropping big branches: Where I had planned is far enough away (about
50-60 metres) from everything, except maybe one post & wire fence but
I'd be prepared to have that repaired if need be. Hang on, I just
thought about the possibility of our grandkids and the dogs wandering to
that area.

Okay, not worth the risk --(I still can't get that tall, white image out
of my heart & mind) -- and you're right, I don't think the WA ones
suggested will survive here.

I'm thinking I'll go for a Snow Gum or two because the patterns on the
trunks are quite beautiful and would also look nice lit from underneath.
I remember admiring them at night when up at the snowfields at Buller
last year. Yep, they'll live.

Thanks everybody.

L