Corymbia ficifolia, small tree to 6 or 8m; dense foliage, nice shape; spectacular red, orange or pink flowers in summer; great street tree.
Corymbia ficifolia is one of my favourite sub-urban trees. It grows well here in Mandurah and gets to a modest 6 to 8 meters when mature. It looks great on the verge as a street tree and, if you have the space, makes for a spectacular specimen plant in the home garden.
It has a nice dense canopy, making it both sightly and good for shade. In summer it bears a truly spectacular display of flowers. Colours range from red to pink to orange.
With seed grown stock, flowering begins after 5 or more years and their is no guarantee as to colour. However, grafted stock will both flower sooner and give the same colour flower as the parent stock. Grafted stock is mostly available from specialist nurseries and isn’t always easy to get. It is also more expensive than seed grown stock.
Corymbia ficifolia is easy to grow and reasonably fast. It requires little pruning or maintenance. Like most euclaypts/corymbias it will drop seed pods, leaves and small branches, but doesn’t seem to be bad for dropping large branches.
The images are all from one group of trees planted on Coodanup Drive outside the Mandurah Catholic College. These are in flower now (January) and are well worth a look.
Mandurah Native Gardens 