{"product_id":"eucalyptus-obliqua-mornington-peninsula","title":"Messmate (Mornington Peninsula) - Eucalyptus obliqua","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMessmate (Mornington Peninsula) - Eucalyptus obliqua\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMessmate is the dominant canopy tree across much of the cool wet forest of south eastern Australia and was the first eucalypt ever formally described. \u003cem\u003eEucalyptus obliqua\u003c\/em\u003e is recognised by its thick, fibrous, deeply furrowed stringybark and its glossy, asymmetric leaves with a characteristically oblique base. This is Peninsula provenance stock, planted where a landholder wants to restore or extend genuine local forest canopy, and it needs the space that a full sized forest tree demands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Messmate\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFibrous Stringybark\u003c\/strong\u003e: Deeply fissured bark runs the full length of the trunk and limbs, giving strong texture and excellent habitat for invertebrates and bark foraging birds.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLocal Canopy Species\u003c\/strong\u003e: It is the natural dominant of Peninsula and Otways forest, so plantings integrate with surrounding remnant vegetation.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHollow Formation\u003c\/strong\u003e: Mature trees develop the limb hollows that possums, parrots and microbats depend on, which younger plantings across Australia are short of.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSummer Flowering\u003c\/strong\u003e: Clusters of small cream white flowers open through December to February and carry heavy bee and honeyeater activity.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFire Response\u003c\/strong\u003e: It reshoots strongly from epicormic buds after fire, an important trait for rural properties in southern Victoria.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBushland Restoration\u003c\/strong\u003e: The primary canopy species for reinstating dry and damp sclerophyll forest on Peninsula and Otways soils.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAcreage Shade Tree\u003c\/strong\u003e: On a large rural block it eventually gives deep, high shade over a wide area.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHabitat Corridor\u003c\/strong\u003e: Planted in groups it links remnant patches and provides forage for bark gleaning birds within a decade.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWindbreak Backbone\u003c\/strong\u003e: Forms the tall rear row of a mixed rural shelterbelt behind wattles and paperbarks.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 4 to 6m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 12 to 15m, and keep well away from dwellings, driveways and services\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Autumn through winter, using the southern wet season for establishment.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Prefers deep, acid to neutral, well drained sands and loams of moderate fertility. It dislikes alkaline and permanently wet soils, and requires reasonable rainfall rather than arid conditions.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Keep a weed free circle at least a metre across around the young tree for the first two years, since grass competition is the main cause of failure. Water fortnightly through the first summer, mulch coarsely away from the trunk, and remove guards and ties before they constrict the stem.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20 to 35m in cultivation, considerably taller in prime forest\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10 to 20m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fast when young, moderate with age\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e South eastern Australia, from South Australia through Victoria and New South Wales to Tasmania\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cream white\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":59795380764958,"sku":"ND-0710-400MM","price":800.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/pdGVrP660PHtKoWRFXzv-_XGCmSyWK.jpg?v=1787314673","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/eucalyptus-obliqua-mornington-peninsula","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}