Welcome to this post that will talk about the eucalyptus being an annual or perennial tree. Lucky for us we can sort of choose whichever one we want. It can perfectly be grown as an annual tree as the speed at that it grows is so quick. Almost 8 feet tall during one season from growing from seed. That’s just incredibly fast. But it can then of course be grown as a perennial.
It will take some rest during the winter to be ready for the next season where it will once again grow very quickly. But it of course can use some help along the way. Mostly just having it grow in the sun and watering it well when it’s still a young tree.
If you want to learn even more about growing eucalyptus and when the best time of the year might be, then we have the perfect article for you. Find it here, When To Plant Eucalyptus In.
Is Eucalyptus Annual Or Perennial
Eucalyptus is a perennial tree that will keep growing year after year and can actually become pretty old. It’s one of the best trees to grow at home if you wish to see results very quickly after sowing. Like we said in the beginning paragraph, it can grow about 8 feet tall or 2 meters in just one season, and that’s when you grow it from a seed.
Since it grows this quickly it can be a very good tree to grow in a pot instead and only grow annuals of it. This way you will every year have the joy of seeing the rapid progress almost day to day. It’s a very easy-to-grow variety as well making this project or method very worth it. You can grow it from seed this way or take cuttings from last year’s tree. But since it grows so fast and we find the best success has been found when growing from seed we recommend going that way.
Growing it as a perennial will make it so you always have a very stable part of your garden thriving. It doesn’t require a whole lot and therefore fits in basically anywhere. But after it starts getting about 3 – 5 years old then you will definitely need to prune it quite heavily. Otherwise, it’s going to grow so tall you can’t reach it comfortably. Being early with pruning the tree makes it easier to decide how you want it to grow.
The part about pruning is actually the most vital part of growing a perennial eucalyptus tree. Thankfully it’s a task you will mostly leave for the end of the season and then only do once and be done with it. What we never want to see is cutting away too much though. Normally we say 30 % is a pretty stable amount but with eucalyptus, we can go slightly higher. Here about 40 % will be fine but never do more than this. Even though it’s a hardy plant there is only so much it can handle.
What Do You Do With Eucalyptus In The Winter?
If you are growing eucalyptus as a perennial then the only thing you can do in the winter is waiting. It will likely shed a lot of leaves and look like any other leaf tree in your surrounding. But this is of course perfectly fine, it’s the way it grows naturally. Something you can do before the winter however is to prune it quite heavily. Just like we laid it out before this segment, about 40 % of the tree to keep the growth in check. Just make sure you cut it nicely, this means cutting branches where new ones can come out.
If you wish to learn even more about when the best time of the year is to plant a eucalyptus tree then we highly recommend you read one of our articles here, When Should Eucalyptus Trees Be Planted.
Growing Eucalyptus In Bathroom
A thing a lot of people have started doing is growing eucalyptus in their bathrooms. The best way of doing this is to have a pot and grow it. Since it grows so fast you need to cut it down a lot. Most people maybe don’t have the largest bathroom, and keeping a tree growing in there might not be what it was first built for. But it does bring some benefits, mostly the smell and joy of seeing it thriving.
Eucalyptus is a pretty hardy tree that can grow a lot during the year, but can it grow all the time? In this article, we take a closer look. Find it here, Does Eucalyptus Grow Year Round?
