I Can't Believe I Bought A Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', aka Eucalyptus latens

At long last I was able to buy a Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon'.  I've admired 'Moon Lagoon' since I saw it on Growing Obsession.  Finally I spotted it offered mail order by AustralianPlants, and was able to buy one.

There must be hundreds of thousands of Eucalyptus in California, most all of them Eucalyptus globulus, hardly the finest example of the species. 
At one time, some of them were in our back yard.   
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How did this large, fast growing, exotic ended up taking over tens of thousands of acres of California land?  Here's an interesting history.  This article is also useful--it points out that Eucalyptus only makes good lumber starting when the tree is at least 75 to 100 years old!  Then there is the invasive nature of the tree in coastal California;  a bit about that here.   
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'Moon Lagoon' is most attractive when its foliage is in the juvenile form, so cutting it back hard to keep that juvenile foliage coming means my copy may never bloom, guaranteeing no invasion.  'Moon Lagoon' is found in one dense stand in south western Australia, in a place called Sullivan Sink, near Lake Magenta Nature Reserve.    
Hundreds of thousands of California Eucalyptus globulus, supporting hundreds of thousands of immigrant tree trimmers. 
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'Moon Lagoon' may be E. latens.  It may be E. kruseana x ? It may not be.  What it is is the Eucalyptus I actually bought, not the E. globulus seedlings I pull from everywhere. 

Comments

  1. I made note of that "Moon Lagoon" Eucalyptus and its dainty silvery leaves when I visited Australian Plants a few weeks ago for their open house sale. My intent was just to look and make notes for purchases in the fall but I still came away with two grevilleas and a leucodendron. It's a dangerous place to visit!

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    1. I have not been there in person...yet...thank goodness it is a 3 hour drive!

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  2. I still can't resist touching this euc. every time I pass it. And the stems right now are a stunning pinky-red. Yes, eucalyptus doesn't have to be a scary word!

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  3. I like Eucas - I never had one before, but planted a non-hardy one, sold as an annual, last year. Bought it in a 4" pot, and stuck it in the ground, thinking it would for sure be dead by now. Not so - right now it's 4' tall, and I'd better move it soon... Not sure what to think of this - it survived temperature dips into the teens. Not exactly tender, if you ask me...

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    1. I had to look it up...there are a handful that will survive down to around -22C (-8F). That is not too tender. Be careful with yours! 4 feet from a 4" pot in a year--it's in a hurry.

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  4. Are you planting it in the ground or keeping it in a container? I guess this could become a monster-plant in time unless you prune hard, very hard? :-)

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    1. 3.6 m x 3.6 m, so not super monster. I think it will go into the ground, to be kept to 1 m x 1 m, to replace a big Salvia that is getting woody, I have a seedling from the Salvia growing strong and healthy, so the old one can go. You are expert at keeping plants in pots, mine are not so happy!

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  5. I was surprised when I saw the title of your post! However, 'Moon Lagoon is attractive and I have no doubt that you'll keep it in line. The links on the Euc invasion were interesting - I'd no idea they were so widely planted throughout the state, or that they can self-seed so prolifically. We took out the last one on our property (there is evidence that at least 2 others were removed years before) but, thankfully, I've never seen any sign of re-seeding here.

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    1. I think it is not so much that they reseed prolifically, but that nearly every seedling survives. The View Police demanded you remove it? ;^)

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  6. Interesting links! I had always wondered. Your new addition looks lovely, and I like the name (haven't heard of it before) - will be good to see how it looks as it grows.

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  7. It is a beautiful Eucalyptus dear Hoover, I had not seen it before but I am staying away from garden centres, they are too much of a temptation for me. :)
    xoxoxo ♡

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