Expect even the hardiest euc to be cut back to the ground by winter cold periodically. Even in my very mild Puget Sound locale, every 10 years or so we get an arctic front through that will kill very mature eucalyptus back to the roots. They may survive - not always - but top growth is gone for sure. Last time these got hit hard was 2 Novembers ago when temperatures plummeted from a record high to a record low in less than two weeks. I've attached a pretty interesting article about cold hardy eucs written by a friend of mine that is a eucalyptus growing specialist. Lots of interesting info to those who like to push the hardiness envelope :-) Here is a link that might be useful: growing eucs in colder climates

I live in Tallahassee (Zone 8b) and have what was sold to me as a Rainbow which I planted in the ground four years ago. It is now about 25 feet tall and has suffered very little during the winters here although I have put Christmas lights around the trunk which I turn on when the weather is cold. However, those lights extend up only about 10 feet. It has experienced temperatures as low as 22 degrees without serious damage. It has the characteristic orangeish bark before peeling but there is only a uniform light brown color under the bark when it peels. Ironically, if I take the peeled bark and run a hose on it the peeled bark changes to a dark maroon color. The tree is planted on a small hill in full sun. I am reasonably confident that it is in fact a Rainbow. Any thoughts on the possibility that keeping a Rainbow on the dry side would keep the bark from turning to show various colors?

razorback33: I want to address your post "I question the tenuous statement on the saveourcypress site, that some Cypress trees are harvested solely for mulch production." I can assure you that these forests/swamps are being clear cut for mulch. These trees are 80-100 years old and not suitable for lumber. Further the industry does not hide the fact that these trees are being clear cut for mulch. Educated landowners that grow their trees for lumber do selective cutting. Cut the prime, leave the smaller ones. Smaller ones will have more light and become prime. Rinse and Repeat... In regards to your statement: "Maybe they should send some representatives to the GA Capitol each year and observe the environmentally concerned organizations pressuring the House and Senate members to protect our own resources." Are you volunteering? Everyone has a vested interest in the outcome of this issue. Billions of Federal dollars are coming to Louisiana and the other gulf states to help protect it from the next natural disaster and to rebuild from the Katrina/Rita. The cypress forests/swamps and marsh are natures own and effective storm barriers. They serve to protect us from these types of natural forces and every bag of mulch made from these barriers puts us at more risk. So stop buying cypress mulch, it's made from whole trees! Here is a link that might be useful: Save Our Cypress

Thank you, Longwood, for a very informative link. Although the article doesn't give any environmental insights into making a choice, the very fact that the melaleuca mulch would encourage the harvesting of those noxious trees ought to mean it is a good choice. And I can see that they are NOT considering that to be one of the eucalyptus mulches, so I have been under a mistaken impression, apparently, regarding that. I will research where I can find melaleuca mulch locally, and see if it is feasible for me to switch to that. Oh, according to that section on pine bark, it IS a byproduct of the lumber industry, so I would think it would be a good way to make use of ALL of the pine trees. Though I, myself, don't care for the look of the pinebark, lots of people really do like it, and it would seem it is probably environmentally friendly. I know that Jim Thomas of Biosphere Nursery sells pine straw (needles) by the bale now, and feels it is the best mulch around. I'm not crazy about the look of that, either, but I will try to keep an open mind. If I'm going to start mulching more, I need to consider all aspects of which ones I choose to put down. Interesting discussion, folks. Thanks for all your input! Marcia