Mottlecah

Sun

Full sun; flowering and compact growth depend on strong light.

Water

Low once established. Water young plants deeply during dry spells, then allow the soil to dry between waterings; avoid frequent shallow irrigation.

Soil

Very freely draining sand, sandy loam or gravelly soil. Tolerates low fertility but struggles in waterlogged clay.

Height

5-10 ft (1.5-3 m)

Spread

6-12 ft (1.8-3.7 m)

Flowers

Huge flowers with mostly red to pink-red stamens and yellow anthers, mainly from late winter through spring and into summer; timing varies with climate.

Foliage

Evergreen. Large, opposite, stalkless leaves clasp the stems and carry a powdery silver-grey coating; young stems and flower buds are also silvery.

Growth

Moderate in warm, sunny conditions; slower in cool climates.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.5 ft (0.77 m)

3. After 2 years

   3 ft (1 m)

4. After 3 years

   4 ft (1.3 m)

5. After 5 years

   6 ft (1.8 m)

About 7 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Native to

Australia

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant in the warmest sunny position available, with room for its broad, sometimes sprawling stems.
• Use a raised bed or mound where drainage is doubtful; do not leave the root ball sitting in a wet planting hole.
• Water deeply through the first dry season, letting the soil dry between applications; reduce watering once established.
• Avoid rich manure and high-phosphorus fertilisers; feed sparingly with a low-phosphorus native-plant fertiliser only if needed.
• Keep mulch clear of the stem bases and avoid packing damp organic material around the crown.
• Protect young plants from frost; move container plants into bright, frost-free shelter before freezing weather.

Pruning. After flowering, lightly shorten wayward stems and remove dead or damaged growth. Avoid routine hard pruning, which removes flowering wood and can spoil its natural shape.

Spring

Plant after the risk of frost has passed in cooler districts; check that water drains freely from the planting area.

Spring

Check new growth for sap-sucking insects and feed lightly only if growth indicates a need.

Summer

Deep-water young plants during prolonged dry weather; allow established plants to dry between occasional waterings.

Late summer

If flowering has finished, lightly tidy awkward growth without shearing the whole shrub.

Autumn

Plant in mild, dry-summer climates where winters are reliably gentle and drainage is excellent.

Winter

Shelter container plants from frost and keep their compost on the dry side without allowing the root ball to dry out completely.

• Use as a silver-leaved focal point in a sunny gravel garden, leaving space for its spreading habit.
• Combine with kangaroo paws and low-growing grevilleas in a dry Australian-native planting.
• Set against a dark wall or evergreen backdrop to highlight the pale foliage and red flowers.
• Grow in a large, freely draining container where winter shelter is practical.

Garden styles it suits: Australian native, Desert / xeriscape, Dry gravel garden, Architectural minimal, Mediterranean and Wildlife garden.

Plant it with: Kangaroo paws, Geraldton wax, Coastal rosemary, Emu bush and Low-growing grevilleas.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other insects; in Australia they also attract nectar-feeding birds.

• Root rot and sudden decline in wet soil: improve drainage before planting, avoid standing water and reduce irrigation in cool weather.
• Frost damage to leaves and young stems: choose a sheltered position, cover small plants during brief frosts and keep containers frost-free.
• Poor flowering or weak, sprawling growth in shade: move container plants into full sun and avoid excessive feeding.
• Scale insects or lerps on leaves and stems: inspect regularly, encourage natural predators and remove heavily affected small shoots; use a locally approved treatment only for persistent infestations.

Do not let people, cats, dogs or horses eat the leaves or other plant material. Eucalyptus foliage contains oils that can cause poisoning, although species-specific toxicity information for mottlecah is limited. Concentrated eucalyptus oil is particularly hazardous and can cause serious poisoning if swallowed.

• Rose mallee (Eucalyptus rhodantha)

  Also has opposite silver leaves and large red flowers, but its leaves are generally rounder and its flowers smaller; mottlecah has especially large, broad leaves and massive buds and capsules.

• Large-fruited mallee (Eucalyptus youngiana)

  Has similarly large flowers and woody capsules, but mature leaves are green, narrower and stalked rather than opposite, silver and stem-clasping.

The species name macrocarpa means 'large-fruited', referring to its unusually large woody seed capsules.

Propagation. Usually grown from seed, sown shallowly in a freely draining seed mix in warm, bright conditions. No routine cold treatment is needed; pot seedlings on promptly and plant out while young to minimise root disturbance.

Accepted botanical name

Eucalyptus macrocarpa

Native range

Western Australia.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.