I had a eucalyptus cut down, about a year ago, in the hope of turning
it into a large shrub. After a few months, there was a huge amount of
new growth and, in the autumn, the new shoots were thinned down, just
leaving a few of the stronger ones. They are now looking rather
floppy and sorry for themselves.

What can I do to encourage them to grow up and develop into a strong
shrub? Will it be enough to give them some support, to get them going
in the right direction? At the moment, they can hardly see the light,
as there are a number of taller shrubs surrounding them. You can see
a photo of it at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66407485@N00/461346555/ - the previous
picture in the set is the same eucalyptus last August, when it had
started sprouting enthusiastically.

--
Cheers, Serena

I have never heard anything about the resolutions of the apostles, but
a good deal about their acts. (Horace Mann)

On 16 Apr, 11:45, Serena Blanchflower
wrote:
I had a eucalyptus cut down, about a year ago, in the hope of turning
it into a large shrub. After a few months, there was a huge amount of
new growth and, in the autumn, the new shoots were thinned down, just
leaving a few of the stronger ones. They are now looking rather
floppy and sorry for themselves.

What can I do to encourage them to grow up and develop into a strong
shrub? Will it be enough to give them some support, to get them going
in the right direction? At the moment, they can hardly see the light,
as there are a number of taller shrubs surrounding them. You can see
a photo of it at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66407485@N00/461346555/ - the previous
picture in the set is the same eucalyptus last August, when it had
started sprouting enthusiastically.

Hullo Serena. Why did you thin it out so much?! Looked so great when
it was bushy. The remaining branches don't look floppy they are ust
seeking light and looks like they're going to have a job competing
with the bushes surrounding it. I can't think of anything you can do,
other off course reducing the surrounding bushes which I'd imagine is
out of the question. It probably won't look really nice for a while,
but giving it time it might, once pass the shade, pick up a bit and
look brighter.

We had to fell our eucalyptus a couple of month ago. It broke my
heart. It had fallen on the next door house in the storms, because the
canopy had eventually reached and passed over the houses roofs and the
wind just took hold of it.

Before ...

http://cjoint.com/?eqodjoZqWo

After ....

http://cjoint.com/?eqodWz6yeH

We're not getting any shoots on the stump because we're buildind a
decking area over it. We can't take the stump/roots out as it's been
in there for 10 years and the girth was over 30 cam and the roots are
under our house .... I've axed it several time to make sure we don't
get shoots and removed as many roots as I could, at least those the
size of my arms!! It's not guaranteed that this will work but there's
very little else we can do (without using chemicals coz I won't) ...
or is there?!

"Serena Blanchflower" wrote in message
...

I had a eucalyptus cut down, about a year ago, in the hope of turning it
into a large shrub. After a few months, there was a huge amount of new
growth and, in the autumn, the new shoots were thinned down, just leaving
a few of the stronger ones. They are now looking rather floppy and sorry
for themselves.

What can I do to encourage them to grow up and develop into a strong
shrub? Will it be enough to give them some support, to get them going in
the right direction? At the moment, they can hardly see the light, as
there are a number of taller shrubs surrounding them. You can see a photo
of it at http://www.flickr.com/photos/66407485@N00/461346555/ - the
previous picture in the set is the same eucalyptus last August, when it
had started sprouting enthusiastically.

The August photos which show the Eucalypt sprouting vigorously was when it
was turning into a vigorous shrub.

I think you overdid the autumn thinnning.

"La Puce" wrote in message

We had to fell our eucalyptus a couple of month ago. It broke my
heart. It had fallen on the next door house in the storms, because the
canopy had eventually reached and passed over the houses roofs and the
wind just took hold of it.

A lot of the eucalypts tend not to have a very deep root systems anyway and
tend to fall over at the drop of a hat.

I must admit that I can't understand the British obsession with eucalypts.
I wouldn't have one as close to my house as I see in the British mags or as
you have shown in your pics. Lovely trees, but paddock or shelter belt
planting only IMHO. And if you've ever seen one growing out of a crack in
a rock, or going off like a bomb in a bushfire, you'd know why I don't like
them close to a house or structure or giving a path for a fire to run in to
a house or shed.

* La Puce wrote, On 16/04/2007 13:10:
On 16 Apr, 11:45, Serena Blanchflower
wrote:
I had a eucalyptus cut down, about a year ago, in the hope of turning
it into a large shrub. After a few months, there was a huge amount of
new growth and, in the autumn, the new shoots were thinned down, just
leaving a few of the stronger ones. They are now looking rather
floppy and sorry for themselves.

What can I do to encourage them to grow up and develop into a strong
shrub? Will it be enough to give them some support, to get them going
in the right direction? At the moment, they can hardly see the light,
as there are a number of taller shrubs surrounding them. You can see
a photo of it at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66407485@N00/461346555/ - the previous
picture in the set is the same eucalyptus last August, when it had
started sprouting enthusiastically.

Hullo Serena. Why did you thin it out so much?! Looked so great when
it was bushy.

There was a question on Gardeners' Question Time, last autumn, about
cutting back eucalyptus to turn it into a shrub and they recommended
cutting it back to only half a dozen shoots, to allow those to develop
well. Mine hasn't been cut back quite that ferociously but not far
off. It did look lovely when it was bushy though; I don't know what
it would be like now though, if it hadn't been thinned out. I suspect
the shoots would be even thinner and stragglier than they are.


The remaining branches don't look floppy they are ust
seeking light and looks like they're going to have a job competing
with the bushes surrounding it. I can't think of anything you can do,
other off course reducing the surrounding bushes which I'd imagine is
out of the question. It probably won't look really nice for a while,
but giving it time it might, once pass the shade, pick up a bit and
look brighter.


Hmm, thinking about it, it's got a Leycesteria next to it and that's
tough as old boots and would be quite happy to be cut back hard to
allow some extra light in. Would some supports, to encourage the
shoots to grow upwards (it'll only get a short head start before the
Leycesteria grows up again) be a good idea?

We had to fell our eucalyptus a couple of month ago. It broke my
heart. It had fallen on the next door house in the storms, because the
canopy had eventually reached and passed over the houses roofs and the
wind just took hold of it.

Before ...

http://cjoint.com/?eqodjoZqWo

After ....

http://cjoint.com/?eqodWz6yeH

We're not getting any shoots on the stump because we're buildind a
decking area over it. We can't take the stump/roots out as it's been
in there for 10 years and the girth was over 30 cam and the roots are
under our house .... I've axed it several time to make sure we don't
get shoots and removed as many roots as I could, at least those the
size of my arms!! It's not guaranteed that this will work but there's
very little else we can do (without using chemicals coz I won't) ...
or is there?!

Not that I know of!

My eucalyptus was a tactical error on my part, when I had the bed cut,
getting on for ten years ago. I thought it would look lovely there,
especially with its grey leaves next to the purple Cotinus... I
forgot that in a few years, the lovely grey leaves would be yards
above all it's neighbours! The plan now is to allow it to grow into a
sizable shrub and to keep it cut back to around 8-12'.

I've put a few more photos of that bit of the garden, including the
euclayptus being taken down, on
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66407485@N00/?saved=1.

--
Cheers, Serena

Walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one
(George Fox)

* FarmI wrote, On 16/04/2007 19:50:
"Serena Blanchflower" wrote in message
...
I had a eucalyptus cut down, about a year ago, in the hope of turning it
into a large shrub. After a few months, there was a huge amount of new
growth and, in the autumn, the new shoots were thinned down, just leaving
a few of the stronger ones. They are now looking rather floppy and sorry
for themselves.

What can I do to encourage them to grow up and develop into a strong
shrub? Will it be enough to give them some support, to get them going in
the right direction? At the moment, they can hardly see the light, as
there are a number of taller shrubs surrounding them. You can see a photo
of it at http://www.flickr.com/photos/66407485@N00/461346555/ - the
previous picture in the set is the same eucalyptus last August, when it
had started sprouting enthusiastically.

The August photos which show the Eucalypt sprouting vigorously was when it
was turning into a vigorous shrub.

I think you overdid the autumn thinnning.



That's what I'm afraid of.

--
Cheers, Serena

I have never heard anything about the resolutions of the apostles, but
a good deal about their acts. (Horace Mann)

On 16 Apr, 20:04, Serena Blanchflower
wrote:
There was a question on Gardeners' Question Time, last autumn, about
cutting back eucalyptus to turn it into a shrub and they recommended
cutting it back to only half a dozen shoots, to allow those to develop
well. Mine hasn't been cut back quite that ferociously but not far
off. It did look lovely when it was bushy though; I don't know what
it would be like now though, if it hadn't been thinned out. I suspect
the shoots would be even thinner and stragglier than they are.

We'll never know ... ;o)

Hmm, thinking about it, it's got a Leycesteria next to it and that's
tough as old boots and would be quite happy to be cut back hard to
allow some extra light in. Would some supports, to encourage the
shoots to grow upwards (it'll only get a short head start before the
Leycesteria grows up again) be a good idea?

Those branches are strong and I can't imagine them following a support
- my eucalyptus was a pauciflora and yours looked like it was a
gunnii, with round leaves. Was it? I think you need another season
before you reduce your leycesteria (March would have been the time I
think) and that will give your eucaplyptus the chance to proove
itself. If you do have more shoots coming, don't remove them. But in
the mean time don't get a headache out of it. Next year it will
perhaps surprise you. If not, give it the chop and make a seat with
it, as I did with mine ;o)

Great photos btw. I've got a black cat too ....

My eucalyptus was a tactical error on my part

Me too. I can think of so many people saying this about their
eucalyptus. It's amusing - now that I've started designing gardens,
and doing the rounds of friends and acquaintances gardens, there's so
many eucalyptus questions popping up and the usual 'can I grow one
there, by the back door ...?'. I'm now well experienced to tell them
what I think! Ours was fine for many years in a pot until we moved
about 10 yrs ago. Once in the ground it just shoot up.

I miss it though. It casted beaufiful shadows in the house ... sob

* La Puce wrote, On 17/04/2007 17:32:
On 16 Apr, 20:04, Serena Blanchflower
wrote:
There was a question on Gardeners' Question Time, last autumn, about
cutting back eucalyptus to turn it into a shrub and they recommended
cutting it back to only half a dozen shoots, to allow those to develop
well. Mine hasn't been cut back quite that ferociously but not far
off. It did look lovely when it was bushy though; I don't know what
it would be like now though, if it hadn't been thinned out. I suspect
the shoots would be even thinner and stragglier than they are.

We'll never know ... ;o)

Which is probably no bad thing...


Hmm, thinking about it, it's got a Leycesteria next to it and that's
tough as old boots and would be quite happy to be cut back hard to
allow some extra light in. Would some supports, to encourage the
shoots to grow upwards (it'll only get a short head start before the
Leycesteria grows up again) be a good idea?

Those branches are strong and I can't imagine them following a support
- my eucalyptus was a pauciflora and yours looked like it was a
gunnii, with round leaves. Was it? I think you need another season
before you reduce your leycesteria (March would have been the time I
think) and that will give your eucaplyptus the chance to proove
itself. If you do have more shoots coming, don't remove them. But in
the mean time don't get a headache out of it. Next year it will
perhaps surprise you. If not, give it the chop and make a seat with
it, as I did with mine ;o)

Janet, who looks after my garden (I'm about as floppy as the
eucalyptus and can't actually do anything much myself), was here this
morning and we had another good look at it. We decided it was worth
taking the leycesteria back a little further, as there was masses of
growth on it below the new cuts, so Janet was confident it would be
OK. The eucalyptus shoots were whippy enough that it seemed worth
tying them up, loosely with string, in the hope that that will give
them the right idea. There are quite a few smaller, new, shoots
coming through now, so I think it's going to be OK in the end.

As you say though, if it doesn't work, it can just become a cat seat.
This has always been an option - the tree as it was was definitely
wrong and had to come down. If it will turn into a shrub, then that's
great but if it won't, it won't.

Great photos btw. I've got a black cat too ....

Not always the easiest cats to get photos of, are they. Especially
when they come running towards you at the sight of the camera...

My eucalyptus was a tactical error on my part

Me too. I can think of so many people saying this about their
eucalyptus. It's amusing - now that I've started designing gardens,
and doing the rounds of friends and acquaintances gardens, there's so
many eucalyptus questions popping up and the usual 'can I grow one
there, by the back door ...?'. I'm now well experienced to tell them
what I think! Ours was fine for many years in a pot until we moved
about 10 yrs ago. Once in the ground it just shoot up.

g

I miss it though. It casted beaufiful shadows in the house ... sob


Yes, I can imagine.

--
Cheers, Serena

Be careful what you wish for; it just may come true.

On 18 Apr, 14:23, Serena Blanchflower
wrote:

Not always the easiest cats to get photos of, are they. Especially
when they come running towards you at the sight of the camera...

Too true. Our Fifi aka Don Juan, is rather difficult because he keeps
sending us 'cat kisses', and we never can get him with his eyes open.
Here's my favourite of him, at the young age of 16.

http://cjoint.com/?esqT6kInwV