NEWS

Eucalyptus leucoxylon – Pink Flowering Yellow Gum - Local Seeds

By A Mystery Man Writer

100 seeds Stunning, drought hardy ornamental small tree. Got to be my favourite Eucalyptus. Beautiful crimson / pink /purple flowers. Interesting leucoxylon fact; I moved on to a property at Bulga near Gunnedah, NSW with one of these growing, it was probably about 10 years old and it was truly impressive when it flowered, it was the most prolific ‘flowerer’ you have ever seen, every single inch of that tree canopy was covered in pink - it was spectacular, and a lovely shade of what I called that over the top ‘Lacroix’ pink and yellow. I manage to collect some seed from that tree, I grew a tree, planted it out, waited till it flowered, and when it eventually did, geewhiz, it was the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen! The flowers were so sporadic, there was like, two flowers per stem, and only about five flowers on the whole tree canopy! it was ridiculous, talk about omitting a generation. Suffice to say I didn’t collect any more seed from that particular tree, but another one I planted managed to be a little more prolific and it’s those seeds I have collected. So you never know when you grow something from seed, you might get something completely prolific full of flowers or something not so much. Native to rocky hills of the Gawler Range, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, but does well in my garden in NSW, in the North West Slopes and Plains (annual rainfall 400-600mm, poor rocky soil). I have noted flowers can be crimson, pink or cream. Drought hardy and very ornamental. I never water it. Hardy to frosts (to -5°C at least). Fast growing. A good tree choice for a garden. It would be great to see some photos of the flower colour produced from these seeds - so I can add them onto the page listings. Please, feel free to take as many photos of as you want, and contact me via email; farmplantsandseeds@gmail.com I will attach a copy of my Euc notes: (but if you want to look up exact temperatures for Eucalyptus germination online, I am sure someone has tested them and written about it somewhere, although I found Gum seed germination/ seedling growing info lacking online). In Australia, Eucalyptus seed germinates best in spring or summer, and they are very easy to germinate and grow. I like to fill a tube tray with potting mix, then sprinkle seeds over the top, (any pot will do though), then lightly cover them (if they are really fine, I don’t bother covering, as the water spray will ‘knock’ them into the potting mix), and keep them moist until they germinate, which can take anywhere from 4 days to 4 weeks - this is best done before it rains, the seeds seem to be able to sense that rain is coming, and so they will germinate just before, if you can time it right, it helps. You need to it out of direct sun, especially hot afternoon sun. When my seeds germinate in the tubes, I thin out the smaller ones, and let the stronger ones survive in the tubes, and they stay in the tubes all spring and summer, (they like tubes, as they need a deeper pot for their long central root), and they should be big enough to be planted into the ground (desired spot) by autumn. Good potting mix is essential. I make my own with compost, perlite, blood n bone, and organic fertilizer (this is why you compost your food scraps and garden clippings – gold for potting mix). Water every so often, you can often tell from looking at them if they need water, ie if the leaves are wilting, give them a good soak. I spray often with Seasol and then Powerfeed – that helps tremendously. If you don’t have any tube stock trays just use a big pot or a little seed tray, and either prick the little seedlings out to repot them in individual pots, or prick all but one out to get big. If you just want 1 plant, then do 5 – I find there are many things that always go wrong, bugs, theft, forgot to water, left out in hot sun, kangaroos, bush turkeys……its good to have back ups. They should be at least 30cm high before you plant them out into the ground, and planting them out is best done in autumn so they don’t have a harsh summer to deal with when they’re establishing. When I plant them out in the ground, I always put a tree guard over them to stop kangaroos from nibbling, this creates a little environment for them which they seem to like. Plus, you can easily see where you planted it. Eucalyptus need water the first year to establish, - well, they did in Gunnedah, but here in the subtropics, I have found I can “plant and forget”, and they just grow!! Wow. In Gunnedah (temperate climate), sometimes I still had to water to establish a second or third year, depending on weather. Most natives do not like having their roots disturbed, so be careful if you repot, and when you plant out. I find it best to plant natives out before they get too old, otherwise, their central tap root will be stunted, and not ‘take hold’ in the ground to ground itself, and will most likely blow over in a storm. So good on you for growing them from seed in the first place. I hope this explains it for you, if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask. For most seeds (unless otherwise stated): Sow Spring - Lightly cover and keep moist until germination – best to do in the hot before a rain event. Grow seedling over the spring/summer in shade house with ideal conditions, then plant out autumn with occasional watering for the first 2 years. Seeds are usually collected from tree/plant shown in photo, this one was growing at Gunnedah, NSW. Happy to answer any questions you may have. My business mission: is to provide backyard owners with seed of Australian Native plants, in particular ornamental species, with aesthetic attributes, to create good vibes and a sense of peace. And my seller promise; if you purchase from me, I will send it to you. I use recycled packaging. And I make a note of sending more seeds than stated in page listing. Plus, I’m a definite advocate for ‘organics’ as much as possible, there are no pesticides at my place!