Eucalyptus gunnii ‘Azura’ – Dwarf Cider Gum – 1 of our Favourites
Fabulous bushy cultivar of compact habit with much smaller genes than its parents -the monster Eucalyptus gunnii.
Grow Eucalyptus gunnii ‘Azura’ as a shrub-on-a-stick, small bushy screening tree anywhere from 2.4m up to 5m tall. Allow it to grow a little taller to say around 6-8m, if you want height.
OR keep Eucalyptus gunnii ‘Azura ‘trimmed as a short bushy shrub in your garden. This is a very versatile plant.
Great for cut foliage – very productive with the classic cute round blue leaf.
The ‘bush’ variant consists of some twin-stems and other shrubby small forms. Please ask for a photograph if you would like to know more.
Biometrics for Eucalyptus gunnii ‘Azura’
Shoots ‘n Leaves: Young shoots are covered in silvery white wax
Juvenile foliage: Rounded, intense silvery blue, with some rose pink and silvery white on the new growth in summer.
Adult foliage: Intermediate foliage is elliptical and then the foliage will change to the typical lanceolate E. gunnii foliage as the tree matures; however the internodes are very short, giving a bushy appearance. Regular pruning will encourage the rounded juvenile blue foliage.
Bark: Smooth bark in pewter grey, cream, olive or sometimes pinky brown, flaking off in large pieces to reveal new bark in shades of pale gold or creamy silver.
Flowers: White flowers followed by gum nuts.
Leaf Aroma: Eucalyptol, but not as strong as its cousin Eucalyptus archeri
Rate of Growth: Slowish for a Eucalyptus. In the nursery, they have grown about 30cm (1ft) over 4 months, so will possibly grow 60-90cm (2-3ft) in an average year. We will update this page as we gather data from our nursery trials.
Height in maturity, if left unpruned: Current estimates are that E. gunnii ‘Azura’ will reach 5m (15ft) tall by about 2m wide, and in the medium to long term approximately 10m (30ft) in the long term. It may be taller in exceptional growing conditions, but still less than half the finished height of its parents. Remember, E. gunnii ‘Azura’ is a versatile, much bushier tree than straight E. gunnii; reminiscent of a Pittosporum in habit and can be kept trimmed to form a small tree or ‘shrub-on-a-stick’ for the smaller garden.
Here is the link to our short pruning video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP4ldDRtHeQ
Click here for the link to our Guidance Notes on Pruning with images
Hardiness: Root system hardy in the region of -14 to -16°C, exceptionally hardy for a Eucalyptus, once mature.
Hardiness in Eucalyptus is governed by
- provenance of seed (all our seed is sourced from frosty or cold locations)
- how it is grown (i.e. high nitrogen levels reduces cold tolerance). Eucalypts need to be grown without stress – see our blog post on the subject.
- the age of the tree – the older your tree, the hardier it will be. Younger Eucs are more susceptible to frost damage.
- how long it has been planted in the ground. The deeper you can encourage the rooting by digging a deep planting pit at the time of installation, the quicker your tree will establish and you will increase its ability to survive cold winters. See our planting notes for more details.
Click here to read more about hardiness in Eucalyptus and how you can help your Eucalyptus to be as hardy as possible
