Self care by growing a garden

[Adge]

[Former-Member]

I felt a bit dreadful taking out the trees here @Adge  even though they were weedy. I did however consult the neighbour and she was glad to see them gone. 

A friend kindly gave us some fig paste and a cherry sauce today that she had made (we are yet to try them). She grows the figs herself.

The eucalyptus you mention is a particularly attractive specimen, there is an orange one too if I am thinking of the right species.

[Adge]

Yep, the Red-Flowering Gum (Ficifolia) has a very small (localised) range - the South-West of WA @Former-Member

It's widely considered to be the most spectacular red-flowering species.

It's a small tree, so won't cause problems in most gardens.

Only a few Eucalypt species have any flower colour Other than White.

I have the Pink Flowered Ironbark (Eucalyptus leucoxylon rosea) out the back - it grows much bigger (up to 30m).

Very pretty pink flowers - though much harder to see than the Red-Flowering Gum, because the flowers are so high up....

Adge

[Former-Member]

They have some grafted Corymbia Ficifolia varieties available in the eastern states  @Adge  and I used to drive past a garden that had both a red and orange variety.  

[Adge]

Yes you're right @Former-Member Red-Flowering Gums (Euc/ Corymbia ficifolia) can also have Orange flowers.

Some of those with orange flowers are hybrids (eg hybrid ficifoliaXMarri), though not always.

Even red-flowering gums can still turn out to have White Flowers (as with nearly all Eucalypt species).

No Guarantee - unless it's a Red-Flowered cutting, grafted onto Rootstock of course.

So I waited about 7 years (or so) after I planted mine (until it first flowered) - holding my breath, hoping that it would flower Red (or Orange) Not White.

Whew, yes it was a Red one....

Adge

[Adge]

Those Grafted Gum trees are so very expensive.

Mum paid $60 for a tiny potted one, over 10 years ago (then it died).

My little Red-Flowering Gum (ficifolia) tubestock only cost me $4.

However, I had to wait 10 to 15 years to grow it up to a good size (small tree).

My Carob Tree (Seratonia siliqua) was a tiny $2 tubestock - it's a beautiful tree now, over 6m high (so far).

Adge

[Adge]

I have one of these too - It's the Red-capped Gum (Eucalyptus erythrocorys).

Very small natural distribution (rare in wild) - just like the Red-Flowering Gum (ficifolia).

Ficifolia is only found naturally in a 10Km square (tiny tiny) area.

[Adge]

And one of these (Coral Gum - Euc Torquata).

Coral Gums are a very small (tiny) tree - only grow to 3m high.

Mine just had to have (turn out) Creamy White Flowers (Instead of Coral Pink) - Didn't it?...

What's the point in a "Coral Gum" (supposedly Pink) - with White Flowers.....

[Former-Member]

@Adge when we had a bush block I planted a number of leucoxylon rosea, coral gums as well as some peppermint gums, was not there long enough to see them flower. There was a yellow flowering gum I had no success with (can't remember the name off hand).

[Adge]

My Pink Flowering White Ironbark (Eucalyptus leucoxylon rosea) - looks just like this:

It's a big tree - mine is about 15m high

Forum system won't let me attach my own photos (usually) - so I have to use (attach) Web photos instead.