Forest Red Gum

Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) is a big, fast, genuinely tough Australian tree for a property with room to give it. In the open it settles around 15m tall and 10m wide, and in forest conditions it can exceed 30m, so this is an acreage, paddock and revegetation tree, not a suburban backyard one. Cream and white blossom through the warmer months feeds nectar birds and bees.

Why you'll love it

• Shade in a hurry. Fast growing, so a bare paddock gains usable shade years sooner than with a slower native.
• It takes what the site throws at it. Frost hardy, drought, heat and wind tolerant, and able to cope with wet feet.
• Serious wildlife value. Warm season flowers bring lorikeets, honeyeaters and bees, and older trees form hollows for nesting birds and mammals.
• It belongs here. Native to eastern Australia and widespread through Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Where it works best

Shade on acreage and in paddocks. Give a single tree at least 12m of clearance from buildings, fences and services, and space a driveway avenue at that same 12m. Stock shelter plantings sit 10m to 15m apart.

Windbreaks and shelterbelts. A staggered double row at 8m to 10m spacing filters wind rather than stopping it dead, which is what holds up in a gale.

Feature planting. Standing clear in a lawn, the smooth mottled trunk and open branch structure show at their best.

Growing Forest Red Gum in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, always. It grows across tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens and is frost hardy once established. Protect young trees through their first winter in a frost hollow.

Soil. Clay, loam and sand all work, and it copes with periodic waterlogging. Dig a wide hole rather than a deep one and mulch 75mm deep, well clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Water deeply once or twice a week through the first two summers, then leave it to the weather. Eucalypts resent heavy phosphorus, so feed a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring for the first few years.

Pruning. Lift the lower limbs over the first few seasons and remove any competing double leader while the tree is small. Large limbs on a mature gum are a job for a qualified arborist.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in five sizes: 200mm pots in packs of six, a 300mm pot, then 45L, 75L and 200L. The 200mm packs and 300mm pots suit revegetation and shelterbelts; the 45L and 75L trees give a real trunk from the start, and 200L is for immediate presence.

Young gums are lean and whippy, and a slightly bent leader after transit is normal. Stake advanced trees loosely for the first year only; a trunk that moves in the wind grows stronger. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Every tree carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Choosing shade trees for farm paddocks.
• The wider Australian native trees range.
• Options for exposed sites in plants for windbreaks.
• Native plants that attract birds, for the layers beneath it.

Common questions

Is it suitable for a suburban backyard?

No. At 15m tall and 10m wide in the open, and well beyond that in good conditions, it needs acreage. On a standard suburban lot, choose a smaller native tree.

How fast does it grow?

Fast for a large eucalypt, particularly through the first five years with water and full sun. Growth slows as the canopy broadens.

Will it cope with a wet corner of the block?

Better than most eucalypts. It tolerates periodic waterlogging, though the site still needs to drain eventually rather than sit as a permanent pond.