Smooth

Smooth-Barked Coolibah (Eucalyptus victrix) is the shade tree for hard country. It reaches about 10m tall with an 8m spread, carries pale smooth bark under a fine grey green canopy, and it handles both the extreme heat of inland Western Australia and the seasonal flooding of a floodplain.

Why you'll love it

• Real, usable shade. A 10m canopy spreading to 8m throws proper shade over a driveway, a yard or a stock area.
• Heat and drought without complaint. Native to the Pilbara and the north, so long dry spells and extreme summer heat are normal conditions.
• It tolerates wet feet. A floodplain species, so it takes seasonal inundation that would kill most shade trees.
• Poor soil is not a problem. It establishes on thin, compacted or low fertility ground with no soil rebuilding needed.
• Birds and pollinators. Cream white flowers bring honeyeaters, native bees and butterflies through the flowering period.

Where it works best

Shade trees. Allow at least 8m of clear ground around it. This is a tree for an open paddock, a large rural yard or a wide verge, not a small courtyard.

Windbreaks. Space trees 6m to 8m apart in a row. A double staggered row at that spacing filters wind rather than blocking it.

Driveways and avenues. On a rural entrance, 8m to 10m apart gives a canopy that meets overhead without crowding.

Growing Smooth-Barked Coolibah in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun and plenty of room. It suits tropical, subtropical, arid and semi-arid, and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland districts, the tablelands and cold southern gardens want a different shade tree.

Soil. Almost anything, including poor, sandy and compacted ground, and soils that flood for part of the year. Permanent waterlogging is the one thing to avoid.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers, then leave it to find its own water. A light native fertiliser in the first spring is plenty. Mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the trunk.

Pruning. Form prune in the first two or three years to a single leader and lift the lower branches for clearance. After that the canopy looks after itself. Like most eucalypts it can shed limbs with age, so plant well away from buildings, powerlines and parking.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in one size, 45L, which arrives as a well developed young tree with a formed trunk and a workable head of branches.

Trees this size travel upright and staked, and a little leaf drop after transit is normal rather than a fault. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare options in our guide to shade trees for farm paddocks.
• More choices in the best canopy trees for shade.
• Browse the full Australian native tree range.
• See other plants for arid and semi-arid climates.

Common questions

How much space does it need?

Give it 8m of clear ground in every direction, and more again from a house, shed or fence line. On a standard suburban block there is rarely room to do it justice.

Will it cope with frost?

Light frost only. It shrugs off heat far better than cold, so in districts with regular heavy frosts choose a frost hardy shade tree instead.

How fast does it grow?

About a metre a year in warm conditions with water through the first two summers. Growth slows in dry years, which is the tree conserving itself rather than struggling.

Can it handle a wet or flood prone site?

Yes, better than almost any other eucalypt of this size. It grows naturally on inland floodplains and tolerates ground that sits wet for weeks at a time.