Wildfire

Corymbia Ficifolia

Corymbia ficifolia and cultivars are flowering gums are an evergreen tree with outstanding flowers.  Their nectar-rich flowers come in iridescent orange, pale pink, bright fushcia, red, white, yellow, and cream with stamens held in a cup-like base.  Birds and bees swarm around for the nectar when the trees are in flower during December. They are followed by ginormous gum nuts that the seed eating birds also adore.  The gum leaves are also fragrant.  These trees enjoy full sun and are drought tolerant and can tolerate pruning if you desire, but they need little else and are very low-maintenance.  They are fast-growing and long-lived. 

Some of the cultivars are:

•  ‘Summer Beauty’ – soft pink flowers

•  ‘Summer Red’ – red flowers

•  ‘Summer Glory’ – vibrant pink flowers

•  ‘Dwarf Orange’ and ‘Baby Orange’ – vibrant orange flowers

• ‘Baby Scarlet’ – bright red flowers,

•  ‘Calypso Queen’- salmon pink flowers

• ‘Wildfire’ – striking scarlet red flowers

• ‘Summer Snow’ – creamy white flowers

• ‘Fairy Floss’ – pink/white flowers

You can give the trees a slight tidy up pruning any wayward growth in Autumn, mulch around the base during winter in preparation for Spring/Summer and also fertilise in early Spring with a native fertiliser.  Best time to plant a young tree is in Spring.  A free-draining spot is recommended.

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