Eucalyptus has a bad reputation. Regardless, the worst of the genus and its only cultivar that I am aware of inhabit my gardens. Four less offensive species inhabit a landscape at work. Actually, several species of Eucalyptus are not only appropriate for home gardens, but are also naturally very well adapted to local chaparral climates. Their bad reputation is an unfortunate result of the bad behavior of merely one of hundreds of species, which happens to be the second of these Six. Eucalyptus camaldulensis, red gum allegedly also contributed to that reputation, but more so in Southern California than here, as it is rare locally. Half of these six show sessile juvenile foliage, rather than petiolate adult foliage. Pictures of high foliage were taken from significant distances.

1. Eucalyptus globulus ‘Compacta’, bushy blue gum is my least favorite eucalyptus, since it is a contrarily runty cultivar of an otherwise grand species, but here it is in my garden.

2. Eucalyptus globulus, blue gum is too grand for my garden, though, so can not develop a natural form. It is pollarded for its aromatic juvenile foliage, but has a few adult leaves.

3. Eucalyptus cinerea, silver dollar tree, which is not the same as silver dollar gum, may be confused with silver mountain gum, since their botanical names are interchangeable.

4. Eucalyptus pulverulenta, silver mountain gum is very distinct from silver dollar tree. I find their confusion to be annoying. Botanical nomenclature is designed for simplicity.

5. Eucalyptus sideroxylon, red ironbark grew from a small root sucker with merely a few roots. I got it from a stump in another landscape, and am impressed by its performance.

6. Eucalyptus citriodora, lemon gum is delightfully aromatic, and, as its name suggests, is rather lemony. Its foliage will soon be too high on lanky bare trunks to reach, though.

This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/