If you have plenty of sun then the tree will grow in your back yard. These trees grow very quickly and can put on 6 feet of growth in one year. They do not have a dormant period, unlike most of the trees in North America, and so do not grow with the change in seasons. This tree grows all year long. This quick growth can cause an imbalance between root development and canopy size. So, in a good wind this imbalance ,when the tree is young, means the tree can blow down easily. Once established the tree has an extensive lateral root system and will withstand high winds. Gardening under or around it will be problematic. The roots aggressively seak out moisture. There is a good link which talks about the growth of this tree here:http://wwwlibrary.csustan.edu/bsantos/section2.htm
I doubt these trees come with built-in 'imbalance', probably it's usually a problem of being potbound. Even so I do not see very many that have toppled here, rare instances of ice build-up weighing them down seems to have the most dramatic effects.
very true, they are far too vigorous for the standard nursery pot....which is why it is recommended they should be planted at less than 12" high......alternatively buy one grown in an air pot. several interesting sites from a quick search http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eucgrowth.html http://www.australiaplants.com/Eucalyptus_Info.htm info about air-pots http://www.australiaplants.com/RootMaker.htm http://www.superoots.com/air_intro.htm I'm definately going to trial air pots at my nursery.
We grow Rainbow Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus deglupta) routinely in air-pots with outstanding results. The trees develop non-circling root systems and grow vigorously even to the point of reaching 6 to 7 feet in a 3 gallon air-pot. A tree grown in a standard container would have almost hopeless root circling if kept in a 3 gallon pot for that long. We were so impressed with the performance of the air-pot that we obtained a retail distributorship for eastern/southeastern USA sales. These containers are not only extremely beneficial for woody trees and shrubs, but are ideal for bonsai (automatic root pruning) and for plants that require a greater than normal level of aeration in the root zone, such as some Alocasia species. LariAnn Garner Rainbow Eucalyptus Site Aroidia Research
