{"product_id":"eucalyptus-olivacea-summer-scentsation-eucalyptus-olivacea","title":"Gum Tree - Eucalyptus olivacea Summer Scentsation","description":"\u003cp\u003eSummer Scentsation is a gum grown for its summer flowers. From around Christmas into early autumn it carries large, fluffy heads of yellow green blossom with a sweet perfume, rich enough in nectar to keep small honeyeaters busy, and the stems last well in a vase. The leaves are aromatic when crushed as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is sold under the name Eucalyptus olivacea, which has never been validly published as a species, so how this selection behaves in gardens tells you more than its wild parent does. The name means olive coloured, a nod to the olive toned foliage; on this selection the leaves are a shiny grey green that stands out against darker planting around it. It makes a compact, garden sized tree, usually on a clean trunk, with a rounded crown, so it fits a suburban block where a full sized eucalypt would be a worry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSun, drainage and sparing water\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull sun and free drainage are the two things it must have. It is proven in temperate gardens from the coast to dry inland districts and is frost hardy; in the humid subtropics it is less tested, so give it the sunniest, best drained spot you have, or choose the Queensland native \u003ca href=\"\/products\/eucalyptus-curtisii\"\u003eEucalyptus curtisii\u003c\/a\u003e there.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe failure mode is kindness. An irrigation timer, rich garden soil and mulch heaped against the trunk give it soft growth and collar rot, and an overwatered gum can collapse in a later summer just when it seemed settled. An advanced root ball needs deep soaks through its first summer while the roots move out into the surrounding soil; after that, cut the watering back hard and let it fend for itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe oil that makes the leaves aromatic also makes the foliage burn hot. In bushfire prone areas keep it out of the zone closest to the house, and rake the shed bark and leaves from under it before each fire season.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhere it fits among the small gums\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eChoose it over \u003ca href=\"\/products\/gum-tree-eucalyptus-cladocalyx-nana\"\u003eEucalyptus cladocalyx Nana\u003c\/a\u003e when summer flowers and a smaller, lighter crown matter more than a dense windbreak, since the dwarf sugar gum is the heavier, bushier shelter tree for dry southern gardens. Against the big shade gums it is a garden plant rather than a paddock tree, and it sits comfortably beside a patio or along a boundary. Other plants for a dry, low water native garden are under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/natives\"\u003eAustralian Native Plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCutting for the vase, and harder pruning\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePicking flowering stems for the house is often all the pruning it needs, because each cut makes the crown branch and thicken. Otherwise, tip prune lightly once the flowers fade and remove any branch that crosses or rubs. Eucalypts of mallee country usually reshoot after a hard cut, but on a named selection spread the work over several winters, one main branch at a time. Feeding is rarely needed; if you do feed, a small handful of slow release native food in spring is enough. Pests are minor on a tree that is not being overwatered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 400mm up to 75L, priced from $259.00 to $499.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/australian-native-trees-for-shade\"\u003eAustralian native trees for shade\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":67670785950065,"sku":null,"price":259.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75L","offer_id":67670786015601,"sku":null,"price":499.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/eucalyptus-olivacea-summer-scentsation-eucalyptus-olivacea.jpg?v=1791515640","url":"https:\/\/plantdrop.com.au\/products\/eucalyptus-olivacea-summer-scentsation-eucalyptus-olivacea","provider":"Plant Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}