Gardening in Californi 



EUCALYPTUS (Australian Gum). 



This genus is one of the most useful of our introduced 

 exotics. True, it is sometimes found to be a nuisance, 

 especially when the common Blue Gum has been planted in good 

 soil along narrow streets and its roots have been within reach of 

 a poorly laid sewer, for it will find out poor work more quickly 

 than most sewer inspectors, the tiniest crack or the smallest pin- 

 hole being surely discovered by the roots of this rampant gross 

 feeder. Should a pin-hole be left in the sewer pipe, the Euca- 

 lyptus quickly enters and in a very short time fills the pipe so full 

 of roots, that it stops up the entire pipe, sometimes for the dis- 

 tance of a hundred feet. This is not the situation for a Eucalyptus 

 of the globulus variety, but the tree merits a place in the 

 landscape and that place should be a prominent one. In an out 

 of the way corner which cannot be used for any other crop, or, 

 on some high knoll where shelter is needed and little else will 

 grow, Eucalyptus globulus (Blue Gum) can be planted to ad- 

 vantage, but there are many other species which may be intro- 

 duced and which give fine effects even in the most choice 

 collections. 



For instance take Eucalyptus piperita : when grown in a suit- 

 able place it is as graceful as the Birch; and no Willow has a finer 

 drooping effect than Eucalyptus saligna with its willow-shaped 

 leaves; or again, the red-flowering variety (Eucalyptus leucoxy- 

 lon, var. macrocarpa), when laden with its bright-pink, myrtle- 

 like blossoms has a most striking effect in the landscape, while 

 the scarlet-blooming Eucalyptus ficifolia is very effective even in 

 small gardens as are also Eucalyptus cornuta (yellow flowered), 

 Eucalyptus titragous (crimson-flowered and a dwarf grower), 

 and Eucalyptus Landsdowniana, (also a dwarf grower with 

 small red flowers and rather broad dark-green leaves). Still 

 another dwarf grower of bushy habit is the Eucalyptus pyra- 

 formis so named on account of the pea shape of the calyx; this 



