July 7, 2010 - Rainbow Eucalyptus in the Desert?

Say it ain't so, right? How can a tree native to the rainforest thrive in such a blazing hot, dry climate? Fairly easily! On a recent trip to Hawaii I discovered this incredible gem at a botanical garden in Honolulu:

This is a Mindanao Gum Tree, aka the Rainbow Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus deglupta).

The name hails from the spectacular array of colors the trunk develops over time. In nature it can grow to be 300 feet tall! The rainbow eucalyptus doesn't even get half that size planted in places like Florida and it's yet to be discovered just how tall they would get if they manage to survive in the desert, but I intend to find out.

After quite a bit of searching I found a young rainbow online and had it delivered. I planted it nearly 5 months ago. It gets about a gallon of water a day. Provided I do not let the roots get dried out it seems to be growing very well, even during 112 degree days! It is in full sun most of the day. Well-draining soil is a must for this amazing tree, other than that I haven't babied it much.

As you can see the little guy is already starting to peel its trunk, revealing the first layer of the rainbow. Every day this tree looks a bit larger, you can almost watch it grow. It has grown about 3 feet so far since it was planted in late winter.

I'll keep this up to date and post the growth of this beautiful plant. Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

-Sheri