How to prune Eucalyptus?

Eucalyptus, also called gum tree, is a tree recognisable at once by its attractive evergreen blue‑green foliage with a camphor scent and its elegant silhouette. Originating from Australia for most varieties, Eucalyptus has inherited a variable hardiness depending on species and is well suited to our southern Atlantic or Mediterranean climates, notably thanks to its drought resistance. Different Eucalyptus varieties grow quickly and require little maintenance, but they may need pruning to retain a neat, dense habit or a shape suited to your garden. Discover our advice on when and how to prune Eucalyptus correctly!

Best time to prune Eucalyptus

As nature does things well, Eucalyptus is an easy‑care tree that generally needs no pruning. However, if you want to control height and spread, we recommend pruning preferably in spring, around March, or in September.

How to prune Eucalyptus?

Coppicing

Eucalyptus tolerates pruning very well, including fairly severe cuts to transform it into a coppice, obtain a bushy, compact form or make it regrow after a frost episode; coppicing will encourage it to branch rather than grow taller, producing a denser habit. Leaf shape and colour change with age: young leaves are almost round and grey‑blue with silvery highlights, while older leaves are elongated and grey‑green. By pruning regularly, Eucalyptus will produce new shoots bearing highly decorative bluish foliage. This pruning also helps the tree strengthen its root system, somewhat light in Eucalyptus, and anchor better in the soil.

If you wish to coppice regularly, do so every 1 or 2 years to avoid inflicting large wounds.

Using loppers or a pruning saw that are sharp and disinfected, cut trunk and branches back to a few centimetres above ground: new shoots will form quickly from the stump. Make clean cuts.

In the spring following the cut, suckers will have appeared on the stump; to form a harmonious coppice, keep one, three or five shoots well spaced apart, selecting the most vigorous and best anchored below the cut. Remove excess shoots by cutting them with loppers.
Allow Eucalyptus to develop strong trunks in the coppice or prune again the following year if you prefer to maintain a bushy form that does not become too tall.

Thinning

If you want to perform a thinning prune to aerate the branches (which reduces risk of breakage), clear the background or highlight bark of your Eucalyptus:

Using a pruning shear or loppers that are sharp and disinfected, remove twiggy and weak shoots from the centre of the branches.

Cut any poorly placed branches, those that cross or spoil the tree's silhouette, keeping the best ones.
If desired, you can also prune lower branches on the trunk to raise the crown slightly.

Maintenance pruning

If your Eucalyptus has dead or broken branches, carry out maintenance pruning:

Equip yourself with a pruning shear, loppers or a pruning saw that are sharp and disinfected and cut out dead, diseased or damaged wood, as well as poorly placed wood (branches that cross, grow towards ground or into the centre of the branches).

Maintenance pruning of Eucalyptus with loppers

If necessary, shorten slightly the length of lateral branches and ridge branches to encourage growth of new shoots and densify the tree.

Pruning back large trees

It may be necessary to prune back an Eucalyptus that has grown too large. If you need to work on a tall specimen, it is better to call a professional arborist rather than risk an accident. Severe pruning is always traumatic for trees and cutting large branches always risks weakening the tree and creating an entry point for pathogenous diseases.