ficifola) for its stunning floral display, or like E. citriodora) which unlike many others is deep-rooted, and many are ornamental, prize like flame eucalyptus (E. A few eucalyptus are good in gardens, such as lemongum eucalyptus (E. globulus) was useful as a windbreak and it was widely used agriculturally, especially in orange groves to stop the damaging effects of seasonal Santa Ana winds. ![]() Meanwhile farmers had discovered that the blue gum eucalyptus (E. In Rancho Santa Fe when the trees failed to produce the hoped-for railroad ties, the area was subdivided and the trees became so prized for their appearance and drought-resistance that they turned into a hallmark of one of the wealthiest communities in the the United States. Though eucalyptus was a failure here as a timber tree it could be used for other purposes and wherever groves of them were planted, many ended up as firewood. Rancho Santa Fe was touted to wealthy people there as a great place to retire due to its fabulous climate. The railroad sold off their land for development and the first buyers came from Chicago, where the railroad’s headquarters were located. All this happened long before any pests afflicted eucalyptus in California so you can imaging what a huge disappointment this was to the railroad. The wood was found to be internally twisted and having a tendency to split. Unfortunately, red ironbark is highly susceptible to the Red Gum Lerp Psyllid, that got started in California in 1998 and this has caused repeated defoliation of the red gum trees and often resulted in death of this species of eucalyptus in Rancho Santa Fe.Īround 1920 a few trees were harvested and given a trial as railroad ties by the Santa Fe, but unfortunately the weather in California is not suited to growing eucalyptus for lumber. camaldulensis), one of the best two eucalyptus known in its native Australia for lumber and railroad ties, and white ironbark (Eucalyptus leucoxylon), which is also a tree prized as lumber in Australia, but some other species were tried out as well. The main species planted in Rancho Santa Fe seems to have been red gum eucalyptus (E. ![]() These species were planted in several areas up and down the West coast, including a huge plantation by the Santa Fe Railroad in the area of San Diego County now known as Rancho Santa Fe. Beginning in 1850 about fifty species of eucalyptus were imported into the USA and later around 1910 eighteen varieties of eucalyptus were selected among those known in Australia as especially useful for timber, including certain ones for railroad ties. Several species of eucalyptus are useful for lumber in Australia and several of these make excellent railroad ties since the wood is extremely hard and long-lasting, with little tendency to rot. The tree that was used in Australia for railroad ties was eucalyptus. ![]() Before doing all this, however, please read elsewhere on this blog the caveats I have written to various other people afflicted with violent, irrational love for European white birch (Betula pendula.) So the other course of action is to knock yourself out doing everything right: Fix drainage so it’s rapid, make soil magnificent, build a raised bed or mound the soil to create perfection beyond belief, feed with organic fertilizer, introduce beneficial insects galore, provide afternoon shade, and protect the patient from burning heat- (hmm, an electric fan?… How far are we going to go?) But if you’re willing to do all this, then throw your heart over the jump and plant the tree you love. If you fall in love with a man because he is so wonderful, but he has a few built-in faults, I would say it’s better to marry him anyway and find ways to cope. When you count all these requirements, perhaps you might decide it would be better to study the lists in Sunset Western Garden Book and find some tree you like that is well- adapted to growing in a dry Mediterranean climate where you don’t need to stand on your head trying to recreate England or New England here in California. However, a few gardens provide the right situation for European birch which are as follows: Plentiful irrigation, fast drainage, deep fertile soil, afternoon shade from burning hot sun, and an organic garden with many beneficials in residence to protect against borers and leaf miners. It hates extreme heat, it does better with a cold winter, and also, it requires deep, well drained, fertile soil, and not many gardens here can fill this requirement. ![]() It is prone to attack by borers, which can girdle the bark and kill the tree. The problem is that this tree comes with a flock of built-in problems. Also, yes it will grow here in California, probably better in coastal northern California than Southern California. You are the second person today who has written to ask about European white birch (Betula pendula.) I agree it’s lovely looking tree.
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