Gum Tree Eucalyptus rossii

Scribbly gums are named for the wandering insect trails etched into their bark, and Eucalyptus rossii is the inland chapter of that story. The trunk is smooth and pale, shedding in ribbons through summer to expose fresh cream and grey, and the scribbles left by moth larvae are reason enough to plant it beside a path where they can be seen up close. Leaves are narrow and grey green, flowers small, white and clustered, and the crown stays open on a tree of moderate scale.

Gravel and frost, and death by kindness

It is native to the dry tablelands of the ACT and central western New South Wales rather than the Sydney sandstone, so it is built for shallow gravelly soil, exposure and hard frost. That makes it a good match for Canberra, the tablelands and slopes, central Victoria and cooler inland districts generally. Full sun brings out the bark. Drainage matters far more than fertility, and the tree is at its strongest on ground that others describe as poor. Once established it needs very little water, and it holds condition through dry summers that thin out softer trees.

The way this one gets killed in gardens is kindness. Planted in an irrigated lawn or a rich, heavily watered bed, it puts on soft growth, loses the tight pale bark that made it worth planting, and eventually goes backwards through root rot. Site it outside the sprinkler zone, do not feed it heavily, and let the soil dry between waterings once it is established. Like most smooth barked gums it drops bark and the odd small branch, so keep it clear of pools and gutters.

Scribbly gum beside brittle gum

Its closest match here is brittle gum, from much the same tableland country and also smooth barked. Brittle gum works through white, pink and red brown over the season and has genuinely weak wood, while this species holds a quieter trunk and carries the scribbles instead. For fine, mobile foliage and filtered shade on similar country, white peppermint is the alternative. Plant scribbly gum where people walk past the trunk and will notice the markings, rather than out in the middle of a paddock. Brittle gum is the one to choose if you want the trunk colour to carry across a distance, since the scribbles on this species only register close up. More in advanced trees.

Light early cuts on a smooth trunk

Keep pruning light and early. In the first three or four years choose a leader, take the competition back before it thickens, and remove any tight fork with bark trapped inside it, working before the spring flush. On an established tree, prune only deadwood and clearance, since large wounds on a smooth barked gum stay visible and slow to close. Feeding is close to unnecessary. If the tree is in poor made ground, a light spring application of a native blend for a season or two will help it away. After that, mulch and grass control do more than fertiliser.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 3 sizes, from 200mm up to 45L, priced from $63.95 to $289.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to Australian native trees for shade.