Urn Gum

One of the most attractive eucalypts, good as a specimen in the larger garden, Eucalyptus urnigera is a tall, fast-growing, evergreen tree with a rather upright, narrow habit. It can also be kept coppiced to make a large shrub. The bark is silver-grey when young; as it matures, it shreds to reveal patches of pink, white, olive, yellow-orange and tobacco-brown. The round to ovate, waxy, aromatic, juvenile foliage clasps the stems and has slightly ruffled edges; it is silvery-blue, with a purplish tinge, and is very good for flower-arranging. Eventually willow-like, silvery-blue adult foliage appears, but pruning can keep the juvenile foliage coming. Some forms of the tree have deep green, unsilvery, leaves. Small, white, urn-shaped (hence the name) flowers and fruits are borne on long stems. Tolerates occasional water-logging.

Site: Sheltered; dislikes cold, drying winds
Soil: Fertile, moist but well-drained soil, preferably neutral to slightly acid
Position: Full sun
Season of interest: All year
Hardiness: Fully hardy
Height: up to 50’ (15m) if left unpruned Spread: up to 33’ (10m)

Photos by Marthe Lelièvre and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.