Blakely’s Red Gum

Blakely’s Red Gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi) is a broad, fast growing shade gum for acreage and paddocks. It reaches around 14m tall with a crown spreading to 10m wide, holding smooth mottled bark in grey, cream and copper. Cream flowers over the warmer months bring lorikeets, honeyeaters and native bees in numbers.

Why you'll love it

• Shade quickly. One of the faster growing gums, so a bare paddock corner has usable shade in a few seasons, not a decade.
• A serious wildlife tree. Heavy blossom feeds lorikeets, honeyeaters and native bees, and hollows form with age for parrots and possums.
• Tough across most of the country. Frost hardy, heat tolerant, drought tolerant and comfortable in poor soil, from the arid inland to cool temperate districts.
• Handsome bark. Smooth bark sheds in patches to leave a mottled trunk that carries the tree through winter.

Where it works best

Shade tree on acreage. A single tree in a paddock or large lawn. Allow at least 10m of clear space and keep it well away from pipes, paving and buildings.

Windbreak and shelter belt. Plant 8m to 10m apart in a row along an exposed boundary. That spacing gives each crown room while the line still slows wind across open ground.

Feature planting. A group of three set 10m apart makes a landmark and a wildlife corridor at once.

Growing Blakely’s Red Gum in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun and open space. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and arid or semi-arid gardens, and it is frost hardy, so tableland and inland districts pose no problem. The wet tropics are the exception, since a dry country gum resents constant humidity.

Soil. Not fussy. It grows on poor, shallow and gravelly ground as readily as on good loam, provided drainage is reasonable. On heavy clay, plant on a mound 200mm to 300mm proud of the surrounding level and mulch 75mm deep, clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Water deeply once a week through the first two summers, then let it fend for itself. Feeding is seldom warranted; if growth is poor, a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring is enough.

Pruning. Formative only, and early. Remove competing leaders in the first three years to build one strong trunk, then lift the lower limbs for clearance. Large gums shed branches, so site the tree clear of anything valuable.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 45L and 100L sizes. The 45L is an established young tree with a formed trunk and enough root system to move away quickly, usually the better value for a shelter belt. The 100L gives more immediate height where a single specimen has to look right from the start.

Expect a settling period of a few weeks, then rapid extension through the first warm season. Plan the position properly before you dig. 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

• Browse the wider Australian native tree range.
• Compare fast growing shade trees.
• Read about the best trees for farm paddock shade.
• See more bird attracting native plants.

Common questions

Can I plant it in a suburban backyard?

Honestly, no. At 14m by 10m, with roots not suited to planting near pipes or paving, it belongs on acreage or a large rural block.

How far from a house or driveway should it go?

At least 15m from buildings, services and hard surfaces, and further if the space is there. The root system spreads well past the drip line, and mature gums shed limbs.

Will it survive frost and drought?

Yes to both, once established. That is why it grows naturally through the cold, dry country of inland New South Wales and Queensland.

How fast does it actually grow?

Fast for a gum of this size. With reasonable water through the first two summers it clears head height in a few seasons, then slows as the canopy broadens.