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...