Great Garden Eucalyptus.

Hi, David--							March 11,  2001

I have planted E. niphophila in almost evry garden I've designed in
Zones 15-17.   It's common name is "Snowgum" and it is a high montane
species that revels in partial shade and lots of water.   I had
one in my Vassar Avenue parking strip but it was gored to death by
our worst enemy - the non-native mule deer.

So far so good in my clients gardens.   It is a slow grower to an eventual
15-20 feet and is technically E. pauciflora var. niphophila.   I have had
to get liners and grown them on.

In my own garden are three magnificent Australians- E. pulverulenta
which is much used in the cut foliage trade and my all time
favorite, E. perriniana which has juvenile silver truly perfoliate leaves.
By pruning fairly often one can keep the juvenile foliage indefinately.
Both these two have non showy white flowers but I am too high & cold
for E. ficifolia and anyway prefer the hot pink selection you see in Oz
to the fiery orange.  Another I'd love too grow but am too cool for is
E. erythrosora.  This has a Bishop's mitre shaped bud of a dusky blood
red which opens to glowing chartreuse.

My last treasure is a difficult to grow Acacia, A. podalryifolia (sp?)
which is a mid sized silver tree of exquisite shape and a rapid bloom
of not too bad a yellow.  Some specimens have pure white bark but
those appear to be more touchy.   It is a fast grower and unfortunately
not long lived but it establishes rapidly,  develops a serious root
system unlike A. stenophylla and once establish lives off God's rain.
It attracts the most attention of my road side trees.

There are dozens more I love and would use in southern CA but
most are too large for the average garden or too messy.   However
when I couldn't get niphophilla anywhere I used 5 E. paucifloras
as a grove.   They do get much larger-perhaps 40' but have the
added attraction of flaking bark producing gorgeous trunks mottled
green,  tan,  beige,  and purplish brown starting in their second year.

My question for you medit planters/designers is what about the mallees? 
 Euc. shrubs that stay small.   I grew one but it was not very
attractive, E. parvifolia BUT there must be plenty of hardy mallees.
Whose using them and which do you recommend?

Michael D. Barclay
"America's Garden Wizard"
Really Special Plants & Gardens
operatic@earthlink.net
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