White Peppermint

White Peppermint (Eucalyptus pulchella) is a Tasmanian gum grown for its fine weeping foliage and clean white trunk. It makes a shade tree of about 12m tall and 8m wide, with a canopy light enough that grass and understorey plants keep growing beneath it. Sprays of white flowers bring honeyeaters through in the warm months.

Why you'll love it

• Weeping, thread fine foliage. The narrow leaves hang in soft curtains, giving the tree a lightness most eucalypts never manage.
• A white trunk worth showing off. Smooth pale bark makes it a genuine feature tree, especially uplit or set against a dark hedge.
• Cold hardy. It is frost hardy and at home in cool temperate gardens where many ornamental gums struggle.
• Undemanding once away. Drought tolerant, wind tolerant and content in poor soil, so it earns its place on difficult sites.
• Birds in summer. The white flowers feed honeyeaters and lorikeets through the warmer half of the year.

Where it works best

Shade tree. The canopy filters light rather than blocking it, which suits a lawn, a paddock or a seating area you still want brightness in.

Feature planting. A single tree shows the weeping habit and the pale trunk best. Give it 8m of clear ground and keep it well away from services.

Driveways and avenues. Plant 8m to 10m apart for a matched line. Closer spacing crowds an 8m canopy and spoils the weeping shape.

Windbreaks. On rural blocks it takes wind well and filters it within a mixed shelter row.

Growing White Peppermint in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, always. This is a cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean tree, so it suits southern and elevated gardens along with the drier temperate parts of the country. Frost is no obstacle. It is not a choice for the humid tropics.

Soil. Tolerant of shallow, poor and low fertility ground, which is where it shows its worth. It does want drainage. On heavy clay, mound the planting position and improve a wide area rather than digging a deep narrow hole.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers, after which it is genuinely drought tolerant. A light native fertiliser in spring for the first couple of years is plenty, since rich feeding only produces soft growth.

Pruning. Formative only. Remove competing leaders while the tree is young to build one strong trunk, and lift the lower limbs for clearance. Avoid heavy cuts into mature wood.

What to expect when it arrives

It is supplied in 35L, an advanced tree with a formed trunk and real height on arrival rather than a whip. Plan for staking through the first year and a wide, well prepared planting hole.

A tree this size travels upright and some leaf loss in transit is normal. Expect it to hold steady for a season while the roots take hold, then move away with obvious growth from the second year. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Choosing canopy trees for shade
• Frost hardy plants for cold gardens
• Trees and shrubs for windbreaks
• Browse the native tree range

Common questions

How far from the house should I plant it?

At least 8m, and further where you have the room. The canopy spreads to around 8m and the roots need space, so keep it clear of foundations, paving and underground services.

Is it messy?

Like most eucalypts it drops leaves, small capsules and strips of bark through the year. That litter is no trouble on a lawn or in a garden bed, and a nuisance over a pool or a paved courtyard.

How cold can it take?

It is frost hardy, which sets it apart from most ornamental gums, and it comes from one of the coldest parts of the country. Young trees still appreciate some shelter through their first winter.