Eucalyptus kybeanensis – Kybean Mallee Ash – 1 of our absolute favourites

Description Eucalyptus kybeanensis – Kybean Mallee Ash – 1 of our absolute favourites A super species well adapted to the British climate and the smaller garden. Slower growing than its fellow Eucalypts,  E kybeanensis develops gradually into an open, airy multi-stemmed bush and then a small tree. The young trees respond well to shoot-tip-pruning in formative years, allowing you to control growth and habit. If growing as a screening tree for privacy, keep it pruned every spring and a light tip-prune of the new growth at the end of May. It will provide you with a light tracery of deep green foliage. Biometrics for Eucalyptus kybeanensis Shoots ‘n Leaves: Young shoots are coated in fine white hairs, presumably to protect them against desiccation in exposed conditions. Juvenile foliage is small, thin, lanceolate, pointed. Begins bronze with purply shoots turning deep glossy green, and often held upright. Adult foliage is lanceolate, with rounded tips, in mid olive green to dark holly green, glossy. Bark: Very attractive; chocolate bark with white striations peels to reveal the smooth under layer of caramel/coffee coloured with a hint of olive green. Flowers: This variety is fairly showy when in flower with small, white inflorescence held in groups of 7 to 11. Flowers from November through to April and smell of honey. Great foliage for picking for the house for Christmas and also for making garlands and Christmas Wreaths Leaf Aroma: Not overwhelming; faintly fruity eucalyptus. Rate of Growth: Relatively slow-growing for a Eucalyptus at around 60-90cm per annum; still quite fast for an evergreen. Height in maturity, if left unpruned: Medium term (about 8 years) around 4 metres tall, long term (20 years) seldom exceeding 7m (about 25′) tall. Prune to keep bushy and compact. In March, we prune our E. kybeanensis by removing about 30cm of growth from every single shoot, all over the tree; whilst also reducing the leading shoot by 30-60cm. This keeps the tree bushy compact and a nice shape.? If you ignore it and fail to prune, it will grow tall, slim and not bushy.? Click here for a link to our pruning Guidance Notes Click here for a link to our pruning video Hardiness:  Root-system easily tolerates temperatures down to -14°C / -16°C but needs good drainage to succeed well. Originating from high plateaux, E. kybeanensis is very tolerant of exposure, once established. The young trees in our nursery survived well, during the winter 2010/11 Avoid planting in a frost pocket or where old air pools in winter.  Eucalyptus kybeanensis will do well on a sunny site with good air flow, on a normal to free-draining soil. Hardiness in Eucalyptus is governed by provenance of seed (all our seed is sourced from frosty or cold locations) how it is grown (i.e. high nitrogen levels reduces cold tolerance). Eucalypts need to be grown without stress – see our blog post on the subject. the age of the tree – the older your tree, the hardier it will be. Younger Eucs are more susceptible to frost damage. how long it has been planted in the ground. The deeper you can encourage the rooting by digging a deep planting pit at the time of installation, the quicker your tree will establish and you will increase its ability to survive cold winters. See our planting notes for more details. click here for more information about hardiness in Eucalyptus in the UK