How to Plant a Dwarf Flowering Gum Tree
Want to plant a beautiful dwarf flowering gum? Right now, Corymbia Summer Red (French lipstick red flowers!) are in stock at Fairhill Native Botanical Gardens Nursery, along with Corymbia citriodora, which is lemon scented with creamy flowers.
We are also taking pre-orders for Corymbia Summer Beauty (gorgeous pale pink) and Corymbia Summer Glory (stunning deep pink flowers) for when the new batch is ready in mid September.
Dwarf flowering gums are stunning additions to your garden, reaching 3m-4m in height and width, with long flowering times typically from December,
Planting 101:
1. Choose a site in full sun, away from dwellings or pipework as gum roots can be energetic. Ideally have your gum tree location where it’s sheltered from strong, drying winds.
2. Create a small swale or depression around the planting. This is beneficial for water management and for creating a more hospitable microclimate for the gum and indeed for any understory plants you add in future. It involves creating a shallow depression or channel to collect and slow down rainwater runoff. This allows the water to infiltrate the soil, benefiting the gum tree and potentially supporting other plants in the area. Before you do this, first scrape back any mulch or poor soil to create your circle, then create your circular swale, around 300mm x 300mm.
3. Dig your hole and loosen the soil in the hole, adding organic matter along with some double handfuls of Red Soil Organics Morpheus or Rocky Point Native Mix. The hole should be twice as wide as the pot, and as deep. Water the hole very thoroughly!
4. Plant your gum, using the soil from the hole mixed with Morpheus/Native Mix. Water in very well.
5. Top dress the circle around your tree with a native-friendly enriched compost such as Red Soil Organics Morpheus or Rocky Point Native Mix. Water in well.
6. Mulch deeply including in the swale depression, and water all of this well, especially in the swale depression.
To establish your new tree, you'll want to water it deeply initially a couple of times a week unless there is good rain, reducing the frequency as it starts to grow roots.
