Eucalyptus Trees In the PNW

[Zach K]

Lets get down to brass tax. Hardy Eucalyptus grows in the PNW (British Columbia - Seattle - Portland region).  However I still have some un-answered questions (Ones that can survive down to zone 8a):

1. What species grow the fastest ?

2. Which have the strongest scent?

3. Can you help me identify the Euc's in the attached pictures and link? (FYI these are all from Portland, OR)

Please help me identify --->Portland Eucalyptus (sweet looking Arbutus menziesi)

Please help me identify --->Portland Downtown Eucalyptus (I think its a spinning gum)

Please help me identify --->Portland Airport Eucalyptus (Theres another one just east of that one)

^ Another angle of the Airport Eucalyptus

^Large one in North Portland 

)

^Very skinny trunks... any idea??

 

If you have any cool PNW eucalyptus pictures, please share!

 

Cheers!

 

[Chester B]

Hi Zach

I have many Eucalyptus, and like others I have started removing some as my lot is not quite big enough. My main concern is having big trees so close to my house. 
 

1. Spinning gum is my fastest by a long shot. I bought from Xera 4 years back. It went from 1’ to at least 30’ in 4 years. My house is 3 stories and it’s over the roof. Scheduled to be cut down as soon as my tree guy has time. Xera still states they grow to 18’ in our climate, wish I knew then what I knew now. 
 

2. Eucalyptus neglecta has the strongest scent by a long shot. I have two and you can smell them from a distance. Eucalyptus pauciflora has no scent even when you crush the leaves. 
 

I think 1&2 are both Eucalyptus pauciflora aka the snow gum. Which variety I can’t say but it seems like these are the most common Eucalyptus around and I usually see “niphophila” being sold. I had 3 but removed two this summer. 
 

Number 3 I don’t know what it is. Interesting bark for sure. 
 

Remaining on my property are one Eucalyptus pauciflora “niphophila”, two neglecta, two stellulata and one subcrenulata. 
 

Around town like I mentioned before 9/10 Eucalyptus are snow gums. Occasionally you’ll see something different but I find them difficult to identify. One Green World now carries a large selection of species if you’re interested. 
 

If you want to see some real big ones both Cistus and Rare Plant Research have some big ones in their display gardens. 

Photos of a big Snow gum on Ankeny

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by Chester B

[Zach K]

Thanks! 

Looks like I need to hunt out a neglecta! I'll go check out One Green World today.

Thanks for clarifying on what the most common type around here is. I had a hunch that they are mostly all snow gums.

A week ago I collected seed pods from the E.P ssp. niphophila at PDX and I'm gonna try to germinate them. Any tips? Once they finish opening up, I was just planning to get an open soil tray with seed starter soil and then dust the top of the soil with the seeds then cover with a thin layer of sand. Should I cold stratify before I dust? If I'm successful, I wouldn't mind spreading the love around PDX in various locations...

 

Also since were talking about Euc's...My parents planted a E. pauciflora ssp. niphophila in their backyard last year in the fall that was bought from Xera plants. It survived the snow/ice storm (I threw a frost cloth over it just to make sure) but took a long time to start growing again. Anyways it has only grown over 2' since. Should they keep this thing staked to the ground? It's very floppy.

 

. 

Also that's an impressive snow gum on Ankeny! (Where exactly btw?)

Edited October 21, 2021 by Zach K

[Chester B]

41 minutes ago, Zach K said:

A week ago I collected seed pods from the E.P ssp. niphophila at PDX and I'm gonna try to germinate them. Any tips? Once they finish opening up, I was just planning to get an open soil tray with seed starter soil and then dust the top of the soil with the seeds then cover with a thin layer of sand. Should I cold stratify before I dust? If I'm successful, I wouldn't mind spreading the love around PDX in various locations...

Yes these need to be stratified.  I prepared them like you have outlined and put them in the fridge for a couple months.  Before my spinning gum gets removed I plan on harvesting a few hundred seed pods for distribution as well.

 

41 minutes ago, Zach K said:

Also since were talking about Euc's...My parents planted a E. pauciflora ssp. niphophila in their backyard last year in the fall that was bought from Xera plants. It survived the snow/ice storm (I threw a frost cloth over it just to make sure) but took a long time to start growing again. Anyways it has only grown over 2' since. Should they keep this thing staked to the ground? It's very floppy.

Everything I read says to not stake but I've had the same issue.  I did stake to try and keep them straight but make sure they can move around to develop a good root system.  My other bit of advice would be to trim it in late spring to encourage bushiness, once it gets bigger.  These tend to what to grow straight up, from my understanding "debeuzevillei" is more likely to form a multibranch tree than "niphophila"  These are the hardiest Eucs, our winters will never bother them.

You can look up on One Green World's website for the varieties they have.  They do have neglecta, I saw them when I was last there.  Tempting to buy another one as they are my favorite, but I don't have the room.

That big snow gum is on the corner of Ankeny and 8th, you can see it on google street view, last image 2019.

Edited October 21, 2021 by Chester B

[Zach K]

3 hours ago, Chester B said:

Yes these need to be stratified.  I prepared them like you have outlined and put them in the fridge for a couple months.  Before my spinning gum gets removed I plan on harvesting a few hundred seed pods for distribution as well.

 

Everything I read says to not stake but I've had the same issue.  I did stake to try and keep them straight but make sure they can move around to develop a good root system.  My other bit of advice would be to trim it in late spring to encourage bushiness, once it gets bigger.  These tend to what to grow straight up, from my understanding "debeuzevillei" is more likely to form a multibranch tree than "niphophila"  These are the hardiest Eucs, our winters will never bother them.

You can look up on One Green World's website for the varieties they have.  They do have neglecta, I saw them when I was last there.  Tempting to buy another one as they are my favorite, but I don't have the room.

That big snow gum is on the corner of Ankeny and 8th, you can see it on google street view, last image 2019.

Ok sounds good. 2 month long cold stratification coming up! You also have a couple strategic spots you want to plant them in lol? I wouldn't mind planting some along 205 near Clackamas/gateway area.

 

Yea the goal is to get a single trunk with some height to it (at least 6') and then have it branch out. Ok late spring *noted* . Yea I think I recall Cistus carrying a debeuzevillei recently. Maybe my memory is slipping. Either way I didn't pick it....probably should've haha.

It seems like a pretty robust website. Not compared to other nurseries I've seen.

 

Hmmmm I cant seem to find it on google maps.  Ankeny and 8th <--- Is this it??

[Chester B]

We have some Madrone trees down this way along the highway so I imagine the Eucs would do well and look great.

If you drive around SE and NE you'd be surprised how many Eucs are around.

SE Ankeny and SE 8th - I didn't realize there was a SW version.

https://goo.gl/maps/DX1xBqYZFb9Ak54m8

 

 

[Zach K]

Agreed.

Ive seen some very impressive specimens in NE for sure!

I guess there is. Wow thats a good looking one for sure.

[ShadyDan]

@Chester B Do you have a picture of your E. subcrenualta? I have a small one in my yard and just curious to see how they look while a bit bigger.
 

@Zach K Along with palms, Eucs are my other favorite plant to grow. I also have a pretty small lot like Chester, so I can't go wild planting a ton haha. I agree with pretty much everything Chester said answering your questions, but I'll throw in my 2 cents as well. For a super fast growing tree, try some of the bigger hardy species: E. dalrympleana, E. nitens come to mind. There are lots of mature Euc specimens on Vancouver Island I know of, including E. pauciflora (and subspecies, also the most common here), E. dalrympleana, E. perriniana, E. gunnii, E. parvula... I'm sure there are more I haven't found yet. Here is a great paper (based in Seattle) about growing Eucs in the PNW: https://depts.washington.edu/uwbg/research/theses/Robert_Wrench_MEH_2020_compressed.pdf

I grow and sell Eucs (along with palms) as a hobby. A couple tips for growing from my experience:
- Community sow seed and cold stratify seeds in the fridge for ~2-3months. Separate them out individually once the first pair of true leaves (not cotyledons) have opened and grow on in 4" pots after that.
- Do NOT stake (my opinion), leads to weaker stems in the future. If they grow sideways at first, they will straighten themselves out as they get larger.
- Plant Eucs while they are small and far from being root-bound. A small tree will grow much faster than a larger, root-bound tree. I wouldn't grow / buy anything larger than a 1 gallon sized tree. A large tree with an imbalanced root-to-shoot ratio or a rootbound tree is much more like to have root issues in the future, leading to top-heavy trees prone to wind-throw or tipping over with snow load.

On my property, I have E. subcrenualta, E. perriniana, and E. rodwayi, all of which should be 100% hardy where I live. Below is my E. rodwayi, planted as a wee little thing in June 2020 and a picture of how it looks today, easily over 4 meters tall. Not bad for 1.5 years of growth! Also shows the merits of planting when small.

 

[Chester B]

I agree with everything @ShadyDan has added to the conversation.  The only thing I would warn about is the bigger Eucs, it's hard to imagine how massive these actually get.  If you see a mature neglecta or perinianna, which are considered smaller Eucs believe me even they are big trees.

My lone subcrenulata which I grew from seed isn't much to look at right now.  It sat there for 2 years hardly growing and this year it finally took off.  More than doubled in height and probably tripled or quadrupled in mass.  Currently about 7' tall.  The silver tomato stakes are not for support but was to keep my dogs from running it over went it was little.  It's probably another couple years from when it will start to peel and show that nice yellow bark.  It is interesting with its green leaves instead of standard blue.  The leaves remind me of indian spices when you crumple them unlike the neglecta with its Vicks vapo rub smell.

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Chester B

[Matthew92]

The very first one in the 1st post on top looks like an E. dalrympleana to me.

[Zach K]

@Chester B and @ShadyDan any reason to believe that your E. subcrenualta's can and will look like this eventually?? Cuz If that's the case, I would be propagating the HECK out of this plant. It looks a lot like the the notorious Eucalyptus deglupta (Rainbow Euc) in tropical areas.

 

[ShadyDan]

22 hours ago, Matthew92 said:

The very first one in the 1st post on top looks like an E. dalrympleana to me.

Leaves are much to short for E. dalrympleana IMO. I agree with Chester that it is probably E. pauciflora or one of the sub species.

@Zach K I don't see any reason not! Was one of the reasons (along with the bright green leaves) I chose to have this species. Only time will tell though.

[Chester B]

@Zach K I sure hope they get that awesome yellow color. I’ve never seen one in person other than the one I’m growing. I still have some more seed In the fridge. It may be worth stratifying this winter and doing a little guerilla planting. My seeds came from trees In Olympia so these are pretty hardy trees. 

[Zach K]

16 hours ago, Chester B said:

@Zach K I sure hope they get that awesome yellow color. I’ve never seen one in person other than the one I’m growing. I still have some more seed In the fridge. It may be worth stratifying this winter and doing a little guerilla planting. My seeds came from trees In Olympia so these are pretty hardy trees. 

 

21 hours ago, ShadyDan said:

Leaves are much to short for E. dalrympleana IMO. I agree with Chester that it is probably E. pauciflora or one of the sub species.

@Zach K I don't see any reason not! Was one of the reasons (along with the bright green leaves) I chose to have this species. Only time will tell though.

Exciting stuff. Id be interested to know where you plan to guerilla plant them. Time will tell I guess.

[Zach K]

16 hours ago, Chester B said:

@Zach K I sure hope they get that awesome yellow color. I’ve never seen one in person other than the one I’m growing. I still have some more seed In the fridge. It may be worth stratifying this winter and doing a little guerilla planting. My seeds came from trees In Olympia so these are pretty hardy trees. 

Also thank you for the suggestion of One Green World. they have an amazing selection! The neglectas are pretty good size too to start. Thinking about snagging one... Probably not the best right before winter though...

[Zach K]

On 10/26/2021 at 8:22 PM, Chester B said:

@Zach K I sure hope they get that awesome yellow color. I’ve never seen one in person other than the one I’m growing. I still have some more seed In the fridge. It may be worth stratifying this winter and doing a little guerilla planting. My seeds came from trees In Olympia so these are pretty hardy trees. 

Any Luck on this project? I just happened to revisit this exactly a year later.

 

@ShadyDan Hows your progress a year later?

 

Also question for the both of you... I planted a e. neglecta about a week or two ago because One Green World nursery had a half off all euc special. Is that stupid to do? Is there a chance that the roots wont take and this winter might kill it? I have a frost cloth setup stnading by in case ice is in the forecast. Just curious on how late someone can plant a euc?

[ShadyDan]

12 minutes ago, Zach K said:

Any Luck on this project? I just happened to revisit this exactly a year later.

 

@ShadyDan Hows your progress a year later?

 

Also question for the both of you... I planted a e. neglecta about a week or two ago because One Green World nursery had a half off all euc special. Is that stupid to do? Is there a chance that the roots wont take and this winter might kill it? I have a frost cloth setup stnading by in case ice is in the forecast. Just curious on how late someone can plant a euc?

Naaaa fall time is a great time to plant, especially this year when the soils will be nice and warm. A super hardy species like E. neglecta should have no problem overwintering and establishing itself. My only concern would be that it would be too leggy and root-bound, as it was an end of the year tree. Eucs establish much better when not root-bound.

Exactly 1 year from the last picture, great reminder to check progress. My E. rodwayi is doing great, put on another ~2 meters or so this year. Hoping to see it flower next year.

Interestingly, my E. subcrenulata grew much less this year than last. It hasn't even grown 1 meter this year, compared to the close to 2 meters it did last year.

Sorry for the poor image quality, I'm in desperate need of a new phone.

[Zach K]

Ok good to know. Yea I figure if any of the eucs have a chance its the neglecta. 

Also that is some healthy progress. Keep it up. Cant wait to see both of your guys's subcrenulatas pull off that exotic yellow trunk some day.

You and me both brother. Time for a much needed upgrade *deep sigh*

[Chester B]

I didn't get around to stratifying any of that seed last year, maybe this year.

The subcrenulata I have really took off this year, easily 3 foot or more of new growth and I was able to trim all of the previous years lower branches off so now only fresh new leaves.  They also have started to develop more of the adult foliage on them too.  It finally was able to get above the fence line and get some proper sun.  No peeling bark yet.

[Chester B]

[Chester B]

@ShadyDando you trim your eucalyptus?  Your subcrenulata looks like it has a pretty thick trunk. My Eucalyptus always grow up before growing out. 

[ShadyDan]

31 minutes ago, Chester B said:

@ShadyDando you trim your eucalyptus?  Your subcrenulata looks like it has a pretty thick trunk. My Eucalyptus always grow up before growing out. 

I do not, besides my wife taking the odd cutting for a bouquet or something. I agree, it is not doing a typical Eucalyptus growth pattern. I'm told there might be some E. vernicosa lineage from the tree the seed was collected from, so that could explain why it is a little more squat. I think I will trim a bunch of the lower branches off next spring to try and encourage some upward growth instead of it getting more bushy. 

[Chester B]

3 hours ago, ShadyDan said:

I do not, besides my wife taking the odd cutting for a bouquet or something. I agree, it is not doing a typical Eucalyptus growth pattern. I'm told there might be some E. vernicosa lineage from the tree the seed was collected from, so that could explain why it is a little more squat. I think I will trim a bunch of the lower branches off next spring to try and encourage some upward growth instead of it getting more bushy. 

Gotcha.  I've never trimmed mine, really because I am afraid too..