Illyarrie

Illyarrie (Eucalyptus erythrocorys) is the small gum to plant when you want something that stops people on the footpath. Bright red bud caps sit along the branches like sealing wax, then lift off to release large yellow flowers loaded with nectar. It reaches around 6m tall and 5m wide, often multi trunked with a loose open crown, one of the few eucalypts that genuinely suits a suburban block.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers unlike any other gum. Vivid red caps open to bold yellow blossom in clusters visible from the street.
• A eucalypt that fits a small garden. At about 6m tall it stays in scale with a house, unlike most gums.
• Birds work it hard. Heavy nectar brings honeyeaters and lorikeets, and the flowers suit bees and butterflies.
• Coastal, dry and quick. Salt tolerant, drought tolerant, heat tolerant, content in poor sandy soil, and fast enough that the first flowering is not a long wait.

Where it works best

Feature planting. Give it space at the front of a block or beside an entry where the flowers can be seen properly.

Coastal gardens. Salt tolerance and a preference for sandy soil make it a natural for exposed blocks, particularly on the drier western and southern coasts.

Small gardens and windbreaks. A mature width around 5m fits where a larger eucalypt never could, though it wants 4m of clearance from a building. In a rural planting, space trees 4m to 5m apart to filter wind.

Growing Illyarrie in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun and open air movement. It suits warm temperate, Mediterranean, arid and subtropical gardens, and it takes light frost only. It comes from the dry Western Australian coast, so it performs best where summers are dry. In districts with humid, wet summers it needs very sharp drainage and will be shorter lived than in the west.

Soil. Sandy, gravelly, poor soil is ideal, and drainage matters far more than fertility. On clay it is a real risk: plant on a raised mound with coarse material through the bed, and accept that a wet winter may still take it.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer only, then leave it to natural rain except in extreme dry spells. Feeding is rarely needed, and if you do, use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring.

Pruning. Prune lightly after flowering to balance the crown, because fast growth on a multi trunked tree can get top heavy. Remove narrow, tight forks early, since those are the joins that split in wind.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are grown: 140mm pots in packs of ten, and a 90L, currently on backorder. The 140mm plants are young seedlings, usually the smarter buy for eucalypts, because they root down quickly and often overtake advanced stock within a few years. The 90L is the choice when you want height immediately.

Expect little for the first couple of months, then strong growth through the first warm season. Stake only if the site is exposed, and remove the stake within a year. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, under our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Native plants with yellow flowers
• Browse Australian native trees
• Small trees for urban gardens
• Coastal and salt tolerant plants

Common questions

How big does it get, and are the roots invasive?

About 6m tall and 5m wide, often with several trunks rather than one. That is small for a eucalypt, and the roots are far less aggressive than the large forest gums, but keep it 4m from a building, paving or a sewer line.

Will it grow on the east coast?

It can, in warm temperate and subtropical gardens, but it dislikes humid wet summers and needs sharp drainage to do well. On heavy soil in a wet district, expect a shorter life than it would have in a dry climate.

When does it flower?

Mainly late summer into autumn, though timing shifts with the district. Trees started from 140mm stock usually flower within three to four years.