Dying Eucalyptus Trees

Due to a bad winter in December 2010, your eucalyptus trees may have died! Here is some more information about the Eucalyptus trees.

Introduction to Eucalyptus

There are more than 500 species of this evergreen tree. It is fast-growing and easy to plant in a large space as a standalone specimen. This tree can also be kept to smaller proportions using different pruning techniques. During the spring and summer months when the temperature is between 13c-18c, is the best time to plant this shrub, allowing them to flower from mid-summer to mid-autumn. Furthermore, the species associated with Britain are usually considered hardy.

Is my Eucalyptus dead?

With Eucalyptus Trees being an evergreen, an early sign that it’s dead is that it turns brown, either partially or completely. If your Eucalyptus tree begins to shed bark from the trunk and branches and exposes a brown shade of wood underneath, get a sharp knife and peel back around 1cm2 of bark. Keep doing so up the tree to see whether it is completely dead or whether it has partially died then back then there is still hope.  If it is that only part of the tree is dead, this can be chopped off otherwise known as pollarding or coppicing, leaving only the living evergreen. However, if the whole Eucalyptus is dead, as with any tree, there is a period of two years which it can be left untouched however after this it becomes unsafe and needs to be removed.

What Temperature Kills Eucalyptus Trees?

A Eucalyptus tree is hardy up to -5c. Temperature climates, however, vary dramatically in different conditions. These include the timing and duration of freezes, summer temperatures and humidity levels. The Pacific Northwest and Britain are said to have reasonably similar Climate conditions. E.aggregata, E.coccifera and E.neglecta are just some of the species that are genuinely well adapted to the British climate.

Conclusion

It is evident that the harsh weather we encountered during December 2010 has caused considerable damages to our Eucalyptus trees, unfortunately, our British weather is fairly unpredictable and although there isn’t anything we can do to stop the cold and harsh frosts from killing our trees, there are ways to prevent. Eucalyptus trees are known sun lovers and most species despise shade, so plant your Eucalyptus tree in the sunniest part of your garden. Also, choose a species like the ones we have suggested that is tolerant of our British climate.

In the past couple of years, we have seen some of the coldest winters and so, as a result, we have seen some of our plants and trees affected by the weather. We hope this article has given you some helpful insight into how the cold weather has affected Eucalyptus trees. If you would like more information on the Eucalyptus trees or if you have any questions on a tree or plant that has been affected by the cold then please contact us.