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Trees

Eucalyptus gunnii 'Blue Ice'

Fast growing, highly ornamental, evergreen tree, about 25m tall, one of the most cold tolerant for northern hemisphere gardens. Flaking cream to grey bark sheds to leave a smooth, yellowish patchy surface, weathering to white, green and pinkish-grey. Highly aromatic foliage, the juvenile leaves to 7cm long, a much stronger blue than the typical species. The adult leaves are grey-green and 8cm long. White flowers are produced from mid to late summer and followed by cylindrical, woody fruits

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Ultimate height

Higher than 12 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

Wider than 8 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained, Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Myrtaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Spreading branched
Genus: Eucalyptus are evergreen trees or large shrubs, often fast-growing, some with attractive bark, most with aromatic foliage, and clusters of small, white, yellow or red flowers
Name status: Unresolved

How to grow

Cultivation

Grows best in slightly acidic, well-drained soil in full sun with shelter from cold, drying winds especially when young. Tolerant of wet soils. See eucalyptus cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed at 13-18°C in spring and summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Mediterranean climate plants
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Pruning group 1 or, for best juvenile foliage, pruning group 7. Production of juvenile foliage is popular to cut for flower arranging either fresh or dried and can be maintained by regular hard pruning in early spring. See Eucalyptus: pruning for further advice

Pests

May be susceptible to eucalyptus gall wasp and eucalyptus sucker

Diseases

May be susceptible to silver leaf, oedema and honey fungus

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