Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Ghost Gum
Ghost Gum is a tall, stately eucalyptus with a smooth, powdery white trunk and drooping, gray-green leaves. It grows upright to about 30 to 60 feet, with a graceful, slightly weeping canopy. The white trunk stands out by day and glows in moonlight. It handles full sun and reflected heat on low water once rooted.
Best for: a tall, clean shade tree for big yards, a white-trunked accent that stands out day and night, and hot, sunny sites on low water.
The smooth, powdery white trunk is the main reason people plant it. Keep the lower trunk in view, and it glows in moonlight. It makes a strong silhouette against a house or open sky.
It grows upright to about 30 to 60 feet with a semi-weeping canopy that casts light shade. Space trees about 20 feet or more apart so each canopy has room.
It is heat tolerant and handles full sun and reflected heat. Once rooted it needs little water, and it adapts well to city lots.
A freeze near 22°F can damage it, and cold can tint the leaves purple. Train it young, since large pruning cuts on older trees heal poorly. It needs room to grow tall.
- Row of trees20 ft apart
- Open planting20-30 ft apart
For the first two weeks, water a new tree every 1 to 2 days in summer, or every 3 to 4 days in cooler months. Ease to about weekly in summer by the second month, and keep up deep soaks for its first 3 years. Once rooted, soak the drip line 2 to 3 feet deep about every 2 to 3 weeks in summer and about monthly in winter.
Train the tree while it is young so you avoid large cuts later. Raise the canopy gradually, and thin a mature tree only lightly.
It is rated to about 22°F. Cover young trees on the coldest nights, and wait until spring to cut off any frost damage.
Take off the nursery stake at planting, and stake only if the tree cannot stand on its own or sits in a windy spot. Use two stakes outside the root ball with soft, wide ties, and remove them after about a year.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does a ghost gum get?
It grows about 30 to 60 feet tall and 25 to 50 feet wide. Plant it where it has room to grow tall.
How far apart should I plant ghost gums?
Plant them about 20 feet or more apart. The Spacing tab shows the options.
How cold hardy is ghost gum?
It is rated to about 22°F, and cold can tint the leaves purple. Protect young trees on the coldest nights.
How much water does it need?
Once rooted it needs little water. Water deeply but infrequently, soaking the drip line rather than the trunk.
Is ghost gum messy?
It is a fairly clean tree with small, inconspicuous flowers and little litter compared with many eucalyptus. That makes it easier to place near a patio than most gums.
When should I prune it?
Train it while young to avoid large cuts later. Raise the canopy gradually, and thin a mature tree only lightly.
Can it take reflected heat?
Yes. It is heat tolerant and handles full sun and reflected heat, so it can go near a hot wall or driveway.
Is ghost gum a good substitute for red gum?
Yes. It is considered a good replacement for red gum in the Phoenix area and adapts well to city lots.
Is ghost gum evergreen?
Yes. It keeps its gray-green leaves all year, so the white trunk always has a green crown above it.
Ghost Gum for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Ghost Gum is a tall eucalyptus with a smooth, powdery white trunk and drooping gray-green leaves. Below: size, spacing, water, cold, pruning and where it fits in a Valley yard.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Ghost gum tree in Phoenix
Ghost gum is a tall eucalyptus with a smooth white trunk that handles heat on low water. It adapts well to city lots.
How big does a ghost gum get?
It grows about 30 to 60 feet tall and 25 to 50 feet wide, upright with a semi-weeping canopy.
Ghost gum spacing
Space trees about 20 feet or more apart so each canopy has room.
Watering ghost gum
Once rooted it needs little water. Water deeply but infrequently at the drip line.
Ghost gum cold hardiness
It is rated to about 22°F. Cold can tint the leaves purple.
Pruning ghost gum
Train it while young, raise the canopy gradually and thin mature trees only lightly.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.