Yellow gum

Sun

Full sun.

Water

Water deeply during establishment; drought tolerant once established. Avoid frequent shallow watering and persistently wet soil.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, loamy or clay soil; tolerates alkaline and limestone soils. Heavy clay is suitable only where water does not stand around the roots.

Height

30-80 ft (9-24 m)

Spread

20-50 ft (6-15 m)

Flowers

Usually autumn through spring, sometimes extending into summer; cream, pink or red flowers in clusters of three. Timing varies with subspecies and climate.

Foliage

Evergreen, narrow, lance-shaped adult leaves, usually dull green to grey-green; young leaves are broader and often bluish.

Growth

Moderate to fast, depending on rainfall, soil and climate.

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

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   10 ft (2.9 m)

3. After 2 years

   13 ft (3.8 m)

4. After 3 years

   15 ft (4.7 m)

5. After 5 years

   21 ft (6.5 m)

About 16 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

Fast

• Plant in spring in frost-prone districts, or autumn in mild climates; choose a small, healthy tree without circling roots.
• Water deeply through the first two summers, allowing the surface soil to dry between waterings.
• Spread organic mulch 2-3 in (5-8 cm) deep over the root area, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Avoid routine feeding; use a modest amount of low-phosphorus fertiliser only if growth is weak and soil fertility is poor.
• Stake only if the root ball moves in wind, use flexible ties and remove support once the tree is anchored.
• Allow room for mature roots and branches; keep well away from buildings, drains and heavily used seating areas.

Pruning. In late winter or early spring, remove dead, damaged or crossing branches and establish a sound framework while the tree is young. Avoid topping or repeated hard pruning; have a qualified arborist assess large limbs.

Spring

Plant in frost-prone areas after severe frost risk has passed, and water the root ball thoroughly.

Late spring

Check young growth for sap-sucking insects and inspect stakes and ties.

Summer

Deep-water young trees during dry spells and maintain a mulch layer clear of the trunk.

Autumn

Plant in mild climates while the soil is warm and seasonal rain can help establishment.

Winter

Check drainage after prolonged rain and keep fallen bark and leaves off paths.

Late winter

Inspect the branch structure and arrange any necessary pruning before vigorous spring growth.

• Use as a specimen tree in a large lawn or open gravel planting, where its pale trunk is visible.
• Provide light, shifting shade over drought-tolerant shrubs and grasses.
• Include in a spacious Australian native garden with wattles, correas and lomandras.
• Use flowering selections as a winter nectar source in a wildlife garden.

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

Plant it with: Lomandra, Dianella, Correa, Westringia, Kangaroo paw and Burgundy bottlebrush.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and, in Australia, honeyeaters and lorikeets. Older trees can eventually develop hollows used by native birds and mammals.

• Psyllids and lerps can cause sticky deposits and leaf loss: maintain sensible watering for young trees, conserve insect predators and avoid unnecessary broad-spectrum sprays.
• Eucalyptus gall wasp can produce swollen, distorted new growth: check local biosecurity advice, especially in the UK, and remove lightly affected shoots only where practical.
• Waterlogging can cause root decline: improve site drainage before planting rather than trying to correct it around an established tree.
• Large limbs may fail, particularly on stressed or poorly structured trees: avoid planting over busy seating areas and have suspect branches assessed by an arborist.

Leaves and bark contain eucalyptus oils and should not be eaten by people, cats, dogs or horses. Ingestion can cause digestive upset and other poisoning symptoms; concentrated eucalyptus oil is especially dangerous and can cause severe poisoning if swallowed.

Where it spreads. Naturalised outside its native range in parts of Western Australia, where it can escape from plantings. Check local environmental-weed guidance before planting near bushland.

• Red ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon)

  Red ironbark retains dark, deeply furrowed bark over the trunk and larger branches; yellow gum has mostly smooth, pale bark, sometimes with rough bark near the base.

• Yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora)

  Yellow box generally has buds in groups of seven and more persistent fibrous or flaky bark on the lower trunk; yellow gum normally has buds in groups of three.

The species name leucoxylon means 'white wood', while yellow gum refers to the yellowish colour of its timber.

Propagation. Usually raised from seed sown on the surface of a free-draining seed mix and kept lightly moist in a warm, bright position. Seedlings may not retain a parent's flower colour; named colour selections are generally propagated by specialist grafting.

Accepted botanical name

Eucalyptus leucoxylon

Native range

New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.

Measured

Soil pH 6 to 8.5. Average height 580 cm.

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