IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME VIII. 

 No. 92 



Edited by C F. Ball 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



OCTOBER 

 1913 



The Cultivation of Eucalypti* 



By Prof. Henry, M.A., Royal College of Science, Dublin. 



LIU 



NEW 



Of the 150 species of Eucalyptus that are known 

 to science about a dozen, can be cultivated with 

 success in the open air in Ireland. Most of these 

 are natives of Tasmania, only one or two coining 

 from the mainland of Australia. None can be 

 considered of really economic importance as a 

 source of timber in this country ; but two or three 

 make fine trees of a noble appearance, whilst all 

 are interesting on account of the distinctness of 

 their foliage. The readiness with which they can 

 be raised from seed and the rapidity of their 

 growth render them valuable in many situations 

 in gardens, parks and pleasure grounds. x\s the 

 species vary much in their powers of resistance 

 to low temperatures in winter, regard must be 

 taken of this fact, and only the most hardy of the 

 twelve species should be planted in inland parts 

 of the country. The best known of them all. 

 the Blue Gum, or Eiicalyptus globulus, is rather 

 tender, scarcely ever surviving when the tem- 

 perature sinks below 17° F. 



Mr. Birkbeck. who has perhaps the greatest 

 knowledge of the genus in these islands, as he 

 has tried during many years past about 40 or 50 

 species in his beautiful grounds at Kinloch 

 Hourn, on the west coast of Scotland, is of 

 opinion that E. vernicosa is the hardiest of all 

 the species. He considers E. Gunnii- E. cocci- 

 fera, E. cordata, and E. urnigera to be quite 

 hardy. Both E. viminalis and E. pauciflora are 

 more tender than E. globulus. At Abbotsbury 

 in Dorset, where also a great number of species 

 have been tried in the open air, all succumbed 

 in the cold winters of 1907 and 1908, except 

 E. coccifera, E. cordata. E. Gunnii, E. Muelleri, 

 E. vernicosa. and E. urnigera. To this list of 

 the hardier kinds may be added the remarkable 

 hybrid, E. Whittingehamensis, which is possibly 

 more robust than any that we have mentioned. 



Before giving an account of the different 

 species, I may say something about their cultiva- 

 tion in general. Mr. Birkbeck's rules for propa- 

 gation are as follows : — Raise them from seed 

 under glass ; pot when 2 or 3 inches high ; re- 



pot often, as they never do well after their roots 

 are pot-bound. Give them some bone-meal, 

 keep under glass till 3 feet high, and plant out 

 in good soil in May or June when about two 

 years old Keep them well staked, as they are 

 easily blown down, but keep the fastenings 

 loose, as they increase in girth quickly. 



It will be found, however, that in Ireland the 

 seedlings of the hardy species may be treated 

 exactly like those of Pines or ordinary Conifers. 

 They may be raised in boxes or frames, and should 

 be transplanted into the nursery when about 

 6 inches high, in order to promote the formation 

 of root-fibres. Seedlings ought to be trans- 

 planted only in cool, cloudy weather, and be 

 watered for some days afterwards. 



The requirements as to soil of the different 

 Eucalypti have not been studied, but they do 

 not seem to be exacting. At Rossdohan, Kerry, 

 all the species grow as well in peat as on 

 gravel, being more easily blown down in the 

 latter soil, according to Mr. Heard. 



All the Eucalypti are typical light -demanding 

 trees, being injured by the slightest shade, and 

 never thrive when planted out in corners under 

 the shade of other trees or when placed close 

 to high buildings or walls. It must be. however, 

 remembered that they are easily broken or up- 

 rooted by gales ; and advantage should be taken 

 of glades and clearings in woods, or of similar 

 sheltered situations, to give them sufficient light 

 and at the same time protection from the 

 south-west wind. Like all other trees, they 

 must, of course, be protected from stock and 

 rabbits. 



The species usually cultivated are not difficult 

 to distinguish, even in the absence of flowers and 

 fruits ; and cultivators who are likely to handle 

 them can avail themselves of the key which I 

 have given to their identification in Trees of 

 Great Britain. Vol. VI., p. 1617. 



I will now give a few notes on each species, 

 making special mention of good specimens 

 growing in Ireland. 



