I was waiting to see if there would be any replies to this question. I too
have a eucalyptus. (this is the second one I've planted, the first one was
at my first house) They just seem to be kind of flimsy and not stand up
straight. My other one was about 8 years old and the bottom of the trunk
finally got thick enough to support the bottom half of the tree. But any
trunk section smaller in diameter than maybe an inch, was just not self
supporting. I would have to tie it up. I had mine on the corner of a
posted porch, so it was convenient enough to support it. The exact same
scenario with the current one. It's putting out new growth, it's happy
where it is and I love the occasional fresh smell when I brush up against a
leaf. But, I have to tie this one up too. This one has been in the ground
for only 6 months or so.
Wish I could have been more helpful, but my experience has been the same as
yours.
Perry
"kudzu-cro" wrote in message
.com...
My wife bought a eucalyptus in a pot from a local garden store (Lowe's I
think) two years ago and it grew like no-ones business for the first year.
The pot it was in was of the five gallon size. After it grew too big for
the pot, we decided to plant it in our yard. This seemed good for the
eucalyptus as it kept growing non-stop. I thought it might grow into a
beautiful tree and we could enjoy it for some time as it matured. The
problem is it does not want to grow straight. I have placed poles
alongside
to assist it in growing vertical, but as it keeps growing, it keeps
tilting
(the main trunk does not seem to be able to support the it). Now, I am
not
sure whether it would be wise to prune/shear the thing in order to promote
a
bulkier trunk, or is it possible we have a genus that is not capable of
growing into a tree but rather should be treated as a shrub. We live in
South Carolina and the temperature here is normally very warm with mild
winters (with the occasional frost and or snow fall which has not hurt it
in
the least). A description of this eucalyptus is as follows;
1. the leaves are silvery upon new growth and after maturing they turn
green
2. the limbs grow quite long
3. there is a good amount of leaf growth on the main trunk
4. the leaves are mostly round

Any thoughts on whether to prune to the ground and let it have a happy
life
as a bush or to discretionally prune it for tree growth would be
appreciated.

thank you all...