I transplanted a cider gum, Eucalyptus gunnii, from a large pot into the garden. It’s about 3m tall, uneven and spindly. Should I cut it down to the base? Will I be able to train it back into a tree, or will it become more bush-like?
If you leave your eucalyptus as it is, it will take over, as they nearly always do in open ground. The pot was restricting growth, but now that you’ve unleashed the beast, and as long as it’s happy, it will grow like the clappers.
If you cut it back, your cider gum will look more bush-like, because you’ll essentially be coppicing it. As eucalyptus ages, it gains its adult foliage – thinner, elongated leaves. I like a coppiced eucalyptus, because you can maintain the lovely, round, juvenile foliage. You could cut it back every year, or every three years; any time it gets too big, just cut it back in spring and, bam, it bounces back. You can’t kill this one.
If you want to make a tree shape, you’ll have to train one or two stems. This is a cut-and-come-again tree, so you can keep working at it until you achieve the desired effect. Plus, the foliage is lovely for flower arranging, or dunked in the bath for a scented soak.
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