Cider gum
Eucalyptus gunnii · Myrtaceae
📷 Wouter Hagens · Public domain
⚠️ Feuilles riches en eucalyptol : leur ingestion peut provoquer salivation, vomissements, diarrhée, abattement ou faiblesse chez chiens et chats. L’huile essentielle concentrée est plus risquée.
The gardener's calendar
In autumn, ease off feeding and take the chance to clean up around cider gum and prepare for winter.
ID card
- Scientific name
- Eucalyptus gunnii
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Foliage
- Evergreen, silvery blue-grey
- Adult size
- 8 m in height, upright and slender habit
- Growth
- Fast
- Hardiness
- Down to approximately -15 °C
- Origin
- Tasmania, Australia
- Exposure
- Full sun
✓ Taxonomy verifiedSource: AI estimate · hardiness: reliability high.
Expert tips
The key tip
Grows very fast, may need light pruning in summer to control shape. Juvenile blue-grey foliage turns darker green with age.
The common mistake
Freezing in harsh winters: the stated hardiness refers to the wood, not the evergreen foliage which suffers from dry and cold conditions.
The pro's trick
Intentionally maintain the ornamental juvenile blue foliage by pinching back shoots regularly (June-August)—far more striking than the adult foliage.
Care
Exposure
Eucalyptus gunnii requires full sun exposure for optimal growth and well-colored foliage. Place it in an open location, sheltered from strong winds that could weaken its trunk. Avoid prolonged shady areas, which would slow its development.
Watering
Water regularly during the first year after planting to encourage root establishment. Once established, eucalyptus gunnii is very drought-resistant and requires little water. Water moderately in summer during prolonged dry periods, and hardly at all in winter.
Soil and drainage
Eucalyptus gunnii prefers well-drained soil, even poor or rocky. Avoid overly compact chalky soils or areas where water stagnates. Light potting mix mixed with coarse sand works perfectly for container growing.
Pruning and shaping
Prune young plants lightly to encourage a compact, branched habit. Once mature, pruning is generally unnecessary. You can, however, remove dead or poorly oriented branches. Pruning stimulates the production of very ornamental young leaves.
Fertilization
Eucalyptus gunnii is undemanding in nutrients and requires only light fertilizing in spring. Apply diluted balanced fertilizer or surface compost. Avoid excess nitrogen, which would stress the tree without strengthening it.
Pests and diseases
Eucalyptus gunnii is generally very hardy and not very susceptible to disease. In excessively humid conditions, watch for fungal growth or root rot. Indoors or in containers, ventilate regularly to prevent spider mite attacks.
Did you know?
Eucalyptus gunnii is called the 'cider gum' because of the pleasantly fruity scent that emanates from its young crushed leaves. Aboriginal Australians have used this tree for thousands of years, while Europeans discovered it in the nineteenth century and quickly introduced it to France and the Mediterranean for its ornamental properties and spectacular growth.
Where to buy it
Best planted in autumn so the roots settle in before summer, or in early spring once the frost has passed. Pick a plant with healthy foliage and roots that are not exposed. Best time: March, October, November.
Add this plant to my garden →Plants from the same family
- Blue gumEucalyptus globulus
- MyrtleMyrtus communis
- MānukaLeptospermum scoparium
- Strawberry guavaPsidium cattleianum
- Snow gumEucalyptus pauciflora
- Woolly TeatreeLeptospermum lanigerum
Tips generated and checked by Viridia — adapt them to your local climate.