They don't remain stems for long Brian. After year 3 you might have a bit of a job to keep up with several of them!!!!! If you have 'grounds' and like hard work then....give it a whirl.

hi .just trying to keeep myself busy!. im trying to get all the info i can because if i plant 1-300 plants.i might find myself up to my neck in it.although a quick chainsaw to cut it a foot from ground level might do the trick if it gets out of control ?.i have 4000 tulips in the ground ready to come up in march with 500 daffidols as well.200 pots of snow drops and hysanths also.going to sell them at car boots and local florist shops.

rgds
brian

An old fashioned GOSH....not LoL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you mean Eucalyptus gunnii, you can grow them and keep them stooled - cut to within six inches of the ground in late March, early April, depending on the kind of spring we're having, but should be done every year - these trees grow very rapidly and if you leave them for 3 years, you'll need a ladder. Expect 6 foot of growth in a season. This will also ensure you have plants with the round, juvenile blue leaves and not the lanceolate, greyish green adult leaves. If you want a permanent supply of stems, suggest you cut half the plants to the ground one year and cut the other half the following year, (bi-annually). Bear in mind when selling them that the stems keep better and for longer in water if cut in the winter.

hi bamboo ,
thanks for the reply.Thats what i was looking for.what happens if for any reason i want to get rid of them?.say i was getting too old and they were becoming unmanageable.?would herbiside kill them ? i read somewhere that they have a special root system that will cause them to sprout again even after fire.?.also had concern about the winter cold weather we just had..would that have killed any young saplings i would have planted ?
its gunnii i was thinking of planting .
rgds
brian

Best species to go for for coppicing are E. gunnii, E. perinniana and E. parvula (formerly E. parvifolia). All three are completely hardy and excellent for this sort of treatment.

The stumps can be killed with a suitable stump killer when and if that time ever comes:-)

Fractal's right - you'd need to chop them down as low as possible and drill into the stumps with a medium wood bit and fill the holes up with SBK or similar to kill them. Not sure if you're asking about saplings of Eucalyptus and the cold weather here - they should be fine, although some parts of the country have been exceptionally cold and the ground has been frozen - rather depends when you actually planted them, really.

yes i think ill go with e.gunnie and E. parvula .
they seem to suit this climate and have the best chance of survival.thanks to everyone for their help.i can get 1 foot small plants at a good price .will post a pic when they arrive.
brian