Eucalyptus

Don't tell @Lolimac you want to grow one, she'll be round with the saw

 

I have not found lemon eucalyptus hardy. In a pot I managed to get them to about 3'. They might survive one winter but not at all reliably even with protection.

I have grown both E.citriodora and E.gunnii and haven't found them difficult from seed.

If you want to plant it in the ground it's best planted quite small as I believe they form a tap root which makes them more stable and that's best done young. But most people regret it if they are allowed to get to any size, so keep pruning while it's still low enough for you to get at it. If cut back hard E gunnii will usually produce a delightful mop of young foliage.

 

Hessayon says sow seed under glass in the spring

 

easy to grow, if you want a big tree it will grow, mine was 80 feet+ when it died

Yes it will have a tap root, when i dug out the root on mine there was 3 or 4 tap roots

 

I've only got some seedlings of lemon eucalyptus growing this year, so I'm also interested to find out if they are hardy .
I've grown other which were hardy and they go like the clappers after year one from seed.
Even if planted a the young stage I still find they become top heavy in gales.

So, if its a hardy one, I suggest planting out in the spring of the second year and prune in early spring in subsequent years, at least until it builds up a good root system.

 

Mine was and probably still is a Gunnii,I left the trunk in as it's a post for my Raspberries ..but it was getting beyond keeping in check..A beautiful tree though,when I planted it 4 years ago it was intended to keep flies away from my chicken run which did work but as I was digging came across a previous owners departed dog so I just quickly shuvved it in so as not to disturb it any further.The 'bone meal' must have helped it get to 30ft ..Now I can climb 20ish foot but anyfurther and it's pushing it..

 

Easy from seed, likely not to be large enough to plant out until Spring of Year 2 (might succumb to our winter as a tiny plant, too).

It is said they are better off if they do not become potbound. Not sure about the tap root issue, I thought that I had read that the roots get some "memory" of growing in circles in the pot, and thus don't spread out and form a secure anchor. So buy small, or grow from seed.

You could do with seed collected from trees at high altitude, as they will be hardier. That seed is not easy to find ... or buy a small plant from a specialist nursery ("Grafton" rings a bell, if you don't find it ask and I'll dig out a link)

If you are likely to be at @shiney's open day next year I can bring you some seedlings I have sown this year.