- Mature height
- 6m to 10m
- Mature width
- 2.5m to 3m
Eucalyptus woodwardii, the lemon flowered gum, is a small Western Australian tree with smooth pale bark, broad grey green leaves and an open, lightly weeping canopy. Through winter and spring it carries masses of bright lemon yellow flowers, a colour almost no other gum offers, and they bring in honeyeaters and bees.
It needs full sun and sharp drainage, and it prefers a dry climate with low summer humidity, so inland South Australia, Western Australia, western Victoria and western New South Wales suit it best. Growth is 50 centimetres to 1 metre a year, with light to moderate frost tolerance and strong drought tolerance once established.
The narrow, upright frame reaches about 6 to 10 metres tall and 2.5 to 3 metres wide, which makes it useful along driveways, in informal screens, in courtyards and as a specimen in dry or coastal gardens. Plant 3 metres apart for an avenue. Few trees this narrow flower this heavily or for this long.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Lemon Flowered Gum
What is Eucalyptus woodwardii?
The lemon flowered gum is a small Western Australian eucalypt with smooth pale bark, broad grey green leaves and an open, lightly weeping canopy. Its distinction is the flowers, dense heads of bright lemon yellow held through winter and spring in a colour almost no other eucalypt offers. It is evergreen and drought hardy.
How big does Lemon Flowered Gum grow?
It reaches about 6 to 10 metres tall and 2.5 to 3 metres wide, so it is unusually narrow for its height. That profile makes it useful along driveways and boundaries and in narrow beds where a spreading canopy would be a nuisance. Allow the full width and it needs no shaping to hold form.
When does it flower?
Through winter and spring, roughly June to October, with large lemon yellow flower heads carried across the canopy. Flowering is heaviest on trees in full sun on dry, well drained ground. The flowers hold well and are followed by ribbed gumnuts. Honeyeaters and bees work them steadily for the whole time they are open.
Is it drought tolerant?
Very. It comes from the goldfields country of Western Australia and needs little water once established, which suits inland gardens, low rainfall regions and unirrigated commercial landscapes. What it will not tolerate is waterlogged ground, so drainage matters more than watering. In heavy soil, plant it on a raised mound.
Will it grow in humid or coastal areas?
It performs best in dry climates with low summer humidity. Coastal gardens in Western Australia, South Australia and western Victoria suit it, and it takes salt wind well on free draining sand. Humid summer rainfall areas along the eastern seaboard are harder on it, and fungal leaf problems can develop there.
Can it grow in a pot?
It can for a few years, in a large container of at least 60 centimetres with a gritty, free draining mix in full sun. It is still a tree, though, and eventually wants the ground. Keep water up in summer without letting the mix stay wet, and plan to move it into the garden.
How do I care for Lemon Flowered Gum?
Plant in full sun with sharp drainage, water fortnightly through the first summer, then only in prolonged dry weather. Mulch with gravel or coarse bark kept clear of the trunk. Prune lightly after flowering to shape. Skip phosphorus rich fertiliser; a low phosphorus native blend once a year is ample.