I wanna see a Rainbow Eucalyptus....

[Forsoothe!]

I seen big ones, they are gorgeous. I haven't seen one in bonsai. Please post a few worthy of the name...

 

[fredman]

Extraordinary tree for sure. I've seen them over on Aus bonsai. Hope we're lucky enough that some Aussie sees this and put up one.

 

[Starfox]

They aren't an Aussie native though but yeah there are a couple of threads over there.
I have a baby one so it's just a stick in a pot and probably not what you are looking for.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I have a small one and hope it colors up by the time it beefs up to ~ 1/4 inch.

 

[Theo Smith]

@Cajunrider has a thread on E. Deglupta that is pretty cool (link below). I’ve found two nurseries down here in Florida that carry them but, they’ve been out of stock when I’ve checked. They ship FWIW.

CJR rainbow eucalyptus

My quest for a rainbow eucalyptus bonsai. The roots have been trained to be shallow since it was a seedling. Previous failure showed me it doesn't like its roots to be disturbed too much. I also learned the large leaves will go small real quick so I'm not concerned. I also found that the trunk...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[LittleDingus]

I, too, would like to see some examples of bonsai level eucalyptus delgupta. I've been following @Cajunrider's threads. Pretty cool the work there, but not "bonsai" status yet in my mind.

I've got a half dozen or so from seed I'm working on my self. A few years behind Cajunrider, but coming along. Mine are 2 years from seed. I'm finding the species difficult to deal with. Of course, I'm well outside it's natural climate! Many of the issues I'm having I don't believe are climate related, though.

Some issues I've noticed on mine:

They tend to grow straight and stiff. I hate to wire, but these seem to need it. Old wood is difficult to bend. New growth is fragile and scars easily. I do have a new round of from seed this season that I encouraged to flop around a little more for trunk interest.

They need constant water! That's my biggest failing so far...and I'm an over waterer! Even slight wilting tends to kill leaves and sometimes entire branches. They dry up but don't fall off for a long time. The image with the T bar branches shows the effects of wilting. That plant was still pretty lush but it came inside this week and I didn't adjust my watering routine quick enough All the young branches coming out of that T will likely die completely now. I'll lose probably about half the foliage due to that mistake. On the 3 plant planting, I had a very lush and health looking bush of leaves this summer until I missed a watering and they all wilted. Now I have the sparsely foliaged trees in the pictures. Prior to the one missed watering, I was not able to see the trunks at all the foliage was so dense. Sadly, no pictures of that This happened to me last year as well and they did recover. It probably won't be till after winter when they do recover though.

Some branches grow long and heavy and form these ugly loops. New growth is very pliable. Hardened off growth not so much. You can see in one of the pictures where I am trying to air layer one of the ugly loops off. They do seem to root well and that layer had roots on both sides when I peeked at it!

They do seem to back bud reasonably. The buds out by themselves don't seem to grow much unless they have direct light though. They seem to bud much better around existing branches. I've started rubbing them off because I have a couple of spots now where 3-4 branches come out of the same point.

So yeah, I definitely see the attraction to the plant. But I'm also starting to see why there are not many established bonsai! It would be great to have some inspiration and a path to follow where I wouldn't have to stumble myself quite as often!

 

[BobbyLane]

In most cases when there isnt much if any actual bonsai images of a tree, it usually means its not a very good bonsai subject

 

[Forsoothe!]

Boo Hiss. They are spectacular in nature as tall and straight. To say that is not a good bonsai form is to say the same about lots of other readily acceptable bonsai. Like this...

Lottsa trunk. Beautiful trunks gotta be seen not all twisted up and Rainbow Euc is gotta be the best trunk in the world. Imagine this as a Rainbow forest. ??

 

[BobbyLane]

Imagine

 

[LittleDingus]

In most cases when there isnt much if any actual bonsai images of a tree, it usually means its not a very good bonsai subject

But where's the fun in not trying

I'm in this for the journey and not the destination. As long as I can keep them alive, I'll continue to grow them. The best bonsai often come from tortured trees. If nothing else, I got that part down with these guys!

 

[BobbyLane]

But where's the fun in not trying

I'm in this for the journey and not the destination. As long as I can keep them alive, I'll continue to grow them. If nothing else, I got that part down with these guys! The best bonsai often come from tortured trees

ah you mean like Yamadori, unfortunately i see no twisted, 'tortured' yamadori here. its easy to say, well ok it will never make a bonsai but lets have 'fun' with it.

"As long as I can keep them alive, I'll continue to grow them "

sounds more like a horticultural experiment rather than a bonsai one.

 

[leatherback]

Boo Hiss. They are spectacular in nature as tall and straight. To say that is not a good bonsai form is to say

I think you misunderstood. Typically when you do not find examples of species X as good bonsai, it means there is some characteristic making the species less suitable. In this case, if I remember well, they are very tricky when dealing with the roots.

 

[LittleDingus]

"As long as I can keep them alive, I'll continue to grow them "

sounds more like a horticultural experiment rather than a bonsai one.

Damn! Busted by the Bonsai police!!

 

[leatherback]

The best bonsai often come from tortured trees.

what do you mean?

 

[LittleDingus]

what do you mean?

 

[BobbyLane]

 

[Starfox]

I have no doubt one will show up eventually, I wonder how long they have really been commercially available. I doubt most people knew of their existence in the wild before the internet and even then probably only in last 10 or 15 years. People are certainly growing (and killing)them too now in the bonsai world so presumably someone will crack it. They need time though as most will be seed grown so your looking 10 plus years maybe.
From all I have read they do seem problematic though, more so than most Eucalyptus but no reason not to try.

They don't regenerate from a lignotuber so hard cut backs to a stump or pollarding will likely kill it when they are mature, same with defoliation. That in itself shouldn't be something that can't be overcome but should at least be noted. They are a weird growing tree anyway due to their growth rate with extremely long branching, I'd probably work within that and not try to fight it's natural elongation too much.

Plus there are two different species E.deglupta and E.binacag both sold as deglupta. Not sure if that likely makes much of a difference or not but it would be useful to know which one is which.

I see the appeal and probably will never stop trying with them if climate permits but I reckon people would be better served trying out the many other Eucalyptus species which are far more hardy and responsive to bonsai techniques and some even have beautiful coloured trunks as well. Even the less colourful ones are still quite unique and aside from the coldest northern winters there is probably a species for most zones.

 

[Cajunrider]

But where's the fun in not trying

I'm in this for the journey and not the destination. As long as I can keep them alive, I'll continue to grow them. The best bonsai often come from tortured trees. If nothing else, I got that part down with these guys!

Well my two rainbow eucalyptus have survived a Cat4 hurricane with 150mph sustained and 198mph gust. All the leaves were stripped and most branches twisted off. One was found under my equipment trailer axle and the other in the middle of a field far away from the house. Is that enough torture?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Cajunrider - glad your rainbow eucalyptus survived. Sorry you took so much damage with the hurricanes this summer. And it looks like another one is on its way, heading to Baton Rouge. Of course in the upcoming 2 days it can wander quite a distance. Maybe if your lucky Texas will get it.

 

[Lumaca]

They are actually grown for timber over here. I got a couple of seedlings from an online seller fattening up. The choice was either that or some 2 meter tall sticks. They grow very straight, very tall with a tuft of foliage up top.

Strangely nobody here seem to grow them for bonsai, couldn't find any info about them at all!

Here's my stick and my "inspiration", some giant trees at the local supermarket parking lot. My sticks bud like crazy at the base.