I returned earlier this week from the Landscape Conference held in Melbourne, it was a jam packed three days filled with exceptional speakers full of inspiring ideas, however more of that later. This post is about one of our most wonderful Eucalypts or Corymbias as it is National Eucalypt Day, a chance to give our fabulous Genus the attention they deserve! I ran into Corymbia citriodora quite a bit in Melbourne which I was not really expecting. Two of these encounters I will document here.
One of the gardens visited on the inner city tour was home to this magnificent specimen of Corymbia citriodora, it is easily one of the most excellent examples of a large canopy tree in a suburban setting I have seen. Thankfully the client and Landscape designer agreed and the new build has been designed around the tree.
Scott Leung from Eckersley Garden Architecture was in charge of making sure the design accommodated the tree, it sits in the centre of the front garden where it can be enjoyed from every angle both inside and outside the house. The house was designed by Edition Office and built by Flux Constructions and has won many awards for residential design. If you look at the size of the tree before the build and then after you can see how well catered for the tree has been within the design.
Visiting the garden with a large group of Landscape designers and plant people was really interesting, we all marvelled at this Corymbia citriodora, from the street it is jaw dropping. Once inside the front courtyard the scent is all encompassing, the front of the house seems to have been created as a sit spot to admire the strong trunk firmly rooted in the ground.
Looking up into the canopy of mature Eucalypts like this one, can give you a dizzying sense of scale, of your own tiny stature. Corybmia citriodora sheds is bark in the summer months and reveals a smooth skin-like bark, fresh and clean for another season. Who said out native flora wasn’t seasonal?
The second Lemon Scented gum was down by the river and is covered in crinkly folds under each branch, showing its mature age, much like a human. This tree is a show off and stopped me in my stride, as it does every-time to Professor Rob Adams who was leading our ramble around the city. The tree is located on the Greenline project next to Birrarung Marr which has been rejuvenated within Melbourne’s ‘Grey to Green’ Project, it is well worth a visit and perhaps a little stroke of its trunk 😉 ‘Happy Eucalyptus Day’ Everyone!
