Sorry, It should have said Trees, not Tress.

bump

What climate?

It's hard to suggest anything that will grow alongside eucalyptus trees - they put out, from roots, leaves and bark, a substance that is allelopathic - it discourages many other plants from growing under, and competing with them.

I remember in FL, years ago, seeing a bottlebrush bush (I believe a cultivar of Callistemon) growing near a eucalyptus at a barn we were renting - I don't now remember how close it was. That species itself can be allelopathic, so...

I would ask your County Extension Agent if s/he has a listing of plants that do well under eucalyptus, as I am sure it is a question that is frequently asked. Look under county or state offices in the phone book, or look on line, to find your local one.

If you can't find a good bush/shrub, what about building a raised bed with a trellis along the back side and growing vines? You could plant something bushy in the raised bed, also.

Dibbit, thank you so much. That is great info and advice. I did think of a raised bed, but still wondered if just the leaves dropping from the Eucalyptus is a problem with plants being able to grow.

Bboy, we live in Northern California, so pretty mild weather. Lots of rain in the winter and hot in the summer. The area is a North exposure.

Yes, the leaves can also be a problem, at least fresh ones. Clearing them off a raised bed would, however, be relatively easy, compared to trying to grow something that is unhappy about it in the ground. Good luck.

mominthedubc,

The allelopathic substances eucalyptus put out keep seeds from germinating but I do not believe they will prevent already germinated plants from growing. They will, however, suck up as much water and nutrients as they can, so whatever you plant will need to be very drought-tolerant and able to compete with established roots.

I've seen coffeeberry (rhamnus californica) growing underneath the eucalyptus near us (we're just south of San Francisco), which can make a nice hedge, and I believe it'll just hit 8-10 feet under the right conditions.

In "California Native Plants for the Garden," there's a list of plants that can compete with oak roots, and a list of plants good for hedges. Cross-referencing the two, and eliminating any that are not evergreen, we get:

-ceanothus arboreus
-cercocarpus betuloides
-heteromeles arbutifolia
-lavatera assurgentiflora
-prunus ilicifolia
-rhus integrifolia

How about Russian sage, camphor, or maybe chaste trees?

Josh

Wow, thank you all so much! I will research all of these and see if I can find anything to work. We planted bamboo between the trees and added sprinklers a couple of years ago , thinking that bamboo would grow anywhere. However, it seems to have stopped growing. Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Mlevie, we are in the East Bay.

As I understand, the allelopathic substance affects mature plants as well as seedlings, much as walnuts affect plants growing within their root system. But, I may be wrong.

I would try googling and see if you can get anything other than what has been suggested. There are enough Australian plants that have been imported to the Bay Area, as well as the Eucalyptus, that some of them might work - after all, they evolved with the Eucalyptus trees. Possibilities include grevilleas, tea trees, banksias (maybe frost tender), among many others.

There is some more info on this topic on the Hardy Eucalyptus Board.

http://members3.boardhost.com/eucalyptus/

Another idea as to what you might grow between eucalyptus trees...
other eucalyptus varieties ;)

Josh