Description
Bring year-round colour, structure, and fragrance to your outdoor space with the Eucalyptus gunnii ‘France Blue’. This striking hardy evergreen is celebrated for its beautifully rounded, blue-grey aromatic foliage and its vigorous yet manageable growth habit. Supplied as a well-established plant with a 7.5 litre root-ball, it is ready to plant straight into a border or a large container and will make an immediate impression in the garden.
One of the most sought-after eucalyptus varieties for UK gardens, ‘France Blue’ is appreciated by gardeners and designers alike for its intensely silvery-blue juvenile leaves, which deliver a cool, contemporary feel throughout the year. The foliage releases a fresh, clean eucalyptus scent when lightly brushed, making it a sensory as well as a visual asset in any planting scheme.
Key Features:
- Hardy evergreen eucalyptus tree, suitable for year-round outdoor growing in the UK
- Distinctive rounded, blue-grey aromatic foliage retained throughout all seasons
- Supplied as a well-rooted 7.5 litre root-ball for an immediate garden presence
- Can be grown as a tree or coppiced annually to maintain a compact, bushy shrub form
- Suitable for borders, large containers, or as a standalone architectural specimen
- Fast-growing and low maintenance once established
- Tolerates a range of soil types provided drainage is adequate
Cultural Information:
- Botanical Name: Eucalyptus gunnii ‘France Blue’
- Common Names: France Blue Cider Gum, Blue Gum
- Classification: Hardy Evergreen Tree or Shrub
- Fully Grown Height & Spread: 3?5 m ? 2?3 m (variable; can be maintained at a smaller size with regular coppicing)
- Growth Habit: Upright, vigorous evergreen tree; naturally bushy when coppiced each spring
- Perfect for: Garden Borders, Architectural Planting, Patio Containers, Contemporary Gardens, Coastal Gardens, Cut Foliage
- Flowering Time: Summer (small, creamy-white flowers produced on mature specimens)
- Planting Position: Full Sun to Light Partial Shade
- Attracts: Bees and Pollinating Insects
- Type: Hardy Evergreen Tree
- Foliage: Rounded, blue-grey, aromatic leaves; juvenile foliage is notably rounder and more intensely blue-silver in colour
- Hardiness: Hardy across most of the UK ? tolerates approximately -10?C to -15?C when well established (RHS Hardiness Rating H4)
- Soil Type: Well-drained, moderately fertile soil; tolerates most soil types including clay where drainage is sufficient
Planting and Care:
Choose a sheltered position in full sun with well-drained soil. Water regularly during the first growing season to help the root system establish. Once settled, eucalyptus is relatively drought tolerant. To encourage a compact, bushy habit and to keep the prized juvenile foliage looking its best, coppice the plant back hard each spring to around 30?60 cm from the ground. If growing as a tree, minimal pruning is required ? simply remove any dead, damaged, or crossing branches as needed.
Notes: This listing is for one Eucalyptus gunnii ‘France Blue’ tree supplied in a 7.5 litre root-ball. The France Blue variety is selected specifically for its particularly vivid blue-grey foliage, making it a distinctive choice where a cool, silvery tone is desired in the garden or container display.
