I'm butting in here - sorry, mike! - but am wondering about the 6 year-old eucalyptus we have... the tree hasn't grown straight and leans a good bit. We staked it a three years ago and that helped, but I'm thinking the stake needs to come off. It's about 10-12 feet tall.

I've seen other full grown eucalyptus in my area and most of them seem to have this "leaning" habit... is that normal or a reaction to the climate in SC zones 7 and 8?

I apologize again for buttin' in on your question, mike! ;-)

Claudia

Hi All,
You all should research the answers to your questions on the internet.
I was considering getting this tree also for my front lawn
I changed my mind when I researched them.
Claudia, your tree is more of a shrub by the way, it will always grow like that and hang over.
Two reasons I didn't get one.
First, they absolutley soak up water. Worse then willows.
They are often used to get rid of malaria bogs around the world.
I don't want a water hog especially around my home.
Secondly, they are extremely hard to get rid of if you change your mind and want to cut them down.
They root underground like bamboo, but unlike bamboo, you cut them down, and they grow right back up, and try to get those roots out!
I am sure you will enjoy them, I just wouldn't plant them very close to my house.
Why don't you plant a native?
A tree that is native to this country and often underused is the wax myrtle. (By the way, same family)
They have waxy fragrant berries for the birds in winter, they also are evergreen and their leaves smell great.
Also know to many as bayberry, like the smell of the candle?
They grow just as fast also, well, just a thought.
And they aren't flammable.
Good Luck!

Eucalyptus are really excellent trees...they're just not generally as hardy to survive our winters here in zone 7. Zone 8 may have better luck.

But I do want to refute a few points here...they don't spread by runners like bamboo, so that's an unfair comparison. And their roots are not anywhere near as bad a willow's...although I wouldn't plant one over my septic tank. And they have no demonstrated invasive tendencies even if they are non-native. They do like water in general, but are also generally drought tolerant once established. You can essentially treat most marginally hardy eucalyptus like a pomegranate...it will survive some winters, and some it will die to the ground a grow back from the roots. So a reliable tree a eucalyptus will never be!...but it is a neat shrubby plant. The leaves on the silver dollar variety smell very good and are used in floral arrangements and for the oil (which yes, is highly flammable).

The wax myrtle is an excellent shrub/tree too.

There may be wind events or prominent winds that have caused the eucalypts in your part of NC/SC to be leaning. Windy landscapes in sandy soils can result in different things than those in heavier clay soils. I've seen massive eucalypts that have full and rounded crowns without any leaning in both the Charlotte and Clemson areas.

I'm pretty turned off by your comment, butterfly.

Really? Eucalyptus is ONE plant? Do you talk of all oaks or maples in the same breath as all growing and tolerating and doing the same things in a landscape?

Much like oaks span the entire North American continent in different soil types and climatic regimes, so too do the Eucalyptus and Corymbia of Australia. Some are water lovers (like river red gum), others are truly arid plants, and others from the Australian alps around Canberra.

Until we know WHICH eucaylpt is in question, glittering generalities are really unnecessary and only proliferates bad information (which also is widespread across the web). ANYONE can blog or publish on the web and it may be read as fact; especially bad are the comments of half-truths or statements that are not clarified or better explained.

Yes, wax myrtle is a great native plant. It also is becoming increasingly susceptible to lac lobate scale that is moving northward.

Thanks for the many and varied comments on my question. I will look for the exact name of the tree on the label. My wife got it from a local farmer's market. So far it is growing well, but is very small--maybe a foot tall at this point. I have it several feet from the house.