Some tree varieties can be pruned to form a bush which is much more manageable in the home garden. These trees must be trained from the first year through a technique called coppicing. Cut the eucalyptus tree straight across in the first year so it forms a stump that is 3 to 5 inches high. Trim any rough edges on the stump.

Choose four well-formed, well-spaced branches that have grown in the past year and cut off all remaining branches. Try to leave branches that are spaced evenly around the stump. These branches will have formed either from the stump or the ground. This is all the pruning needed in the second year. Remove any new branches that sprout up from the stump or ground each year but allow sideshoots to form on the four originally chosen branches. Trim the sideshoots only when they are broken, unhealthy, drooping or rubbing on other branches.