White Gum

White Gum (Eucalyptus rossii), better known as scribbly gum, is grown for its bark: smooth, powdery white and marked with the winding insect trails that give it the name. In cultivation it settles at around 12m tall and 8m wide, a manageable size for a large garden or a rural entrance. It is frost hardy, drought tolerant and content in poor soil, which makes it one of the easier gums to place.

Why you'll love it

• Bark that is the feature. Smooth white trunk and limbs, shedding to reveal fresh colour, with the scribble markings clear enough to read from the path.
• Tough on hard sites. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, wind tolerant and productive in poor, shallow, gravelly soils where other trees stall.
• Wildlife value. Cream and white blossom feeds bees and butterflies, and the tree brings honeyeaters and parrots into a garden that had none.
• A gum that stays in scale. At roughly 12m it gives real canopy and shade without the mass of the giant forest eucalypts.

Where it works best

Shade tree on an open block. Allow 8m of clear space around it. It suits a large lawn, a paddock corner or an acreage entrance rather than a suburban courtyard.

Windbreaks and shelter belts. Spaced 6m to 8m apart in a staggered double row it filters wind across an open block, and the drought tolerance means it survives without irrigation.

Driveways and avenues. Spaced 10m apart along a drive, the white trunks line up as a repeating feature, which is at its best lit at dusk.

Growing White Gum in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, always. It is native to eastern Australia and suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens. Frost is no issue, and it handles a hot dry summer better than almost anything else of its size. Constant tropical humidity is not its climate.

Soil. Well drained soil is the one requirement. Poor, sandy, shallow and gravelly ground all suit it, and it does not want rich soil or heavy feeding. Avoid sites that stay wet after rain.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers to drive roots down, then leave it alone. Fertiliser is largely unnecessary; a light native feed in the first spring is plenty.

Pruning. Formative only. Remove competing leaders and any damaged limbs while young, and lift the lower branches gradually to expose the trunk, which is the whole reason to grow this tree.

What to expect when it arrives

It is supplied in 45L pots, which is advanced stock: a tree with a defined trunk and enough root volume to establish quickly, rather than a tube you nurse for years. It is the practical size for planting a shelter belt or an entrance in one go.

The pot is heavy, so dig the hole and organise help before delivery day. Stake it loosely for the first year only, since a gum needs stem movement to thicken properly. Expect fast growth from the second spring. Delivered Australia wide, and advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the wider Australian native tree range.
• Browse suitable plants for windbreaks.
• Read about bird attracting native plants to plant beneath it.

Common questions

How big does it actually get?

Around 12m tall and 8m wide in a garden, though it can reach 20m on good tableland sites. Soil depth and rainfall set the final height more than anything you do.

What causes the scribbles on the bark?

The tunnels of a small moth larva that feeds between the old and new bark layers. The marks are revealed as the outer bark sheds, so they change pattern each year.

How close to a house can I plant it?

Not close. Like all eucalypts it can shed limbs in extreme heat or storms, so keep it well clear of buildings, driveways and anywhere people sit regularly.