Eucalyptus urnigera – The Urn Gum – 1 of 9 members of the glorious gunnii group

Description Eucalyptus urnigera – The Urn Gum – 1 of 9 members of the glorious gunnii group Like its close relative Eucalyptus gunnii,  Eucalyptus urnigera has both a blue/silver leaved form and a green leaved form; the silvery blue forms are considered to be more ornamental and are also possibly hardier. Our trees are of the silvery blue form and have an elegant upright slender habit for the first 10 years or so, before producing a broadening canopy. A rare subalpine species and a member of the large gunnii group, Eucalyptus urnigera is of better form and rumoured to be less palatable to wildlife. For more details on the benefits and attributes of this species – hop over to the next tab labelled ‘How to Use’. Biometrics for Eucalyptus urnigera Shoots ‘n Leaves: Young shoots are glaucous (covered in white wax), with a touch of purple bloom. Juvenile Foliage: Beautiful silvery blue, rounded with pretty crinkley edges. Adult Foliage: Oblong-ovate silvery blue and grey green in maturity, displayed in attractive tresses Bark:  Silvery-white when young. Maturing to smooth, shredding mosaic of pearl grey, white, gold, salmon, olive & coffee. Flowers: Very Pretty. White flowers with a pink flush held in groups of three or more, in April to May. Leaf Aroma: Strong fruity menthol/Eucalyptus with a hint of Cinnamon – reminds me of Christmas. Rate of Growth: Fast growing at 1.2-2m per year, depending on how much moisture is receives over the summer. Height in maturity, if left unpruned:  a medium sized Eucalyptus – after many years (15-20 years) growing up to approximately 15m tall and approx. 7-10 m wide in the canopy, which can be controlled with sensible pruning on March 18th and again at the end of May. Responds well to coppicing and pollarding, when done at the right time of year.  Unless you are growing for cut foliage, please refrain from voluntarily electing to prune your Eucalyptus from August through to February; it can kill it. Click here to read our Guidance Notes with pictures on pruning Click here to watch our Pruning video To receive monthly pruning and aftercare advice, sign up to our Gumnut Club – its free and you can unsubscribe at any time.  To subscribe – just call or ping us an email to [email protected] Hardiness:  Eucalyptus urnigera is generally very hardy, root-systems tolerating down to -14°C to -16°C when mature, on a good site.  Best not planted in a frost pocket. Hardiness in Eucalyptus is governed by Provenance of seed.  Our Eucalyptus urnigera seed is sourced from frosty cold locations. How it is grown. For example, high nitrogen levels reduces cold tolerance, whereas good potassium levels help improve cold tolerance. Is the site sheltered or exposed? 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. If you would like to know more about how to help your Eucalypt become hardy – read our Guidance Notes on the subject here