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Eucalyptus for Home Decor FAQ

May 09

Eucalyptus 101 title image

This is one of those posts I’ve considered writing forever, but felt a little silly actually putting it together. As a DIY focused blogger, I really only post projects, room makeovers, and start to finish tutorials. This isn’t really any of those. It’s more of a, ‘here’s what I’ve noticed’ type post. BUT I get asked about this all. the. freaking. time. So I know it’s worth writing.

I love using eucalyptus in my home decor. The muted greens and the gorgeous shapes… not to mention the lovely fragrance. I love how it adds texture to simple decor, it looks clean and modern, and it adds life to vignette. I’m all about it. And apparently every one else is too. It’s become hugely popular over the past few years not just for home decor but for weddings and floral arrangements. I’ve actually found the cost of eucalyptus has gone up around here. But even still- it’s pretty budget friendly if you use it intentionally (especially compared to fresh flowers!) and it will be a staple in our home decor until I find something I love more. Which I don’t see happening any time soon.

For this post, I took some photos to show the different varieties, but I also wanted to show it in context/our home! So I’ll try link each photo used to the post it’s from. Like this one below if from my dining room ;)

Eucalyptus for home decor

Ready to chat all about it?

I put all of this information into a short video for you. If you’d rather read about it, I typed it out too. So read on ;)

Goodness me! What was going on with my hair here?! I bought this eucalyptus before we went to go look at a house. We ended up buying that house and I went into *ohmygoodnessgetourhouseonthemarket* mode and spent DAYS cleaning and finishing projects and painting. Then I realized the eucalyptus was going to dry out before I did my video. So I panicked and changed my shirt and slapped on makeup for a video. I didn’t wash my hair. After painting and cleaning all day. I’m not going to lie… this may have been day two. Or more. Those days were a total blur. I almost scrapped the video entirely but thought, what the heck. So there’s my story about my hair. Never on this blog have I ever told a story about my hair, but now you have one. *sigh*

different varieties of eucalyptus

WHERE DO YOU BUY EUCALYPTUS?

There are a few different places you can buy eucalyptus. I know that in bigger cities, you can buy bunches of eucalyptus from your grocery store even. Where I live, I can get eucalyptus by order from almost any florist (including our grocery store one) if you order a full bunch of one kind. Honestly, that’s a TON of eucalyptus though. For reference, I used one bunch in our bathroom reveal and I didn’t even use it all in this bathroom (the giant vase, the open shelving, and in the bathtub).

Classic Bathroom Makeover with marble hexagon tile and Modern Details- love the matte black with the chrome!

So I have a fave florist in town (Art Knapp if you’re local) that almost always has at least one variety of eucalyptus at any given time that I can purchase by the stem. In the video I also talk about the size of the stems and other than the true blue eucalyptus (the tall skinny guys), one stem is actually enough to break up into a couple smaller vases if you aren’t wanting a full bouquet.

FRESH, PRESERVED, OR DRIED… WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

I love to use fresh eucalyptus. That’s my go-to every time. I feel like this is the BEST option if you really want those bouncy leaves but it can get costly keeping it fresh. So while I love it… I keep it around long after it’s fresh. When eucalyptus dries, the leaves don’t look quite as smooth, but it generally retains it’s colour. The two that I prefer to dry are silver dollar and true blue (and baby blue). You can dry it by hanging it (like flowers) or you can just let it dry in your vase. If you let it dry while in water, there is a higher chance that it will discolour and turn brown so I usually dump the water out of my vase when the eucalyptus starts to look a little dry. That said… it doesn’t always dry beautifully. Sometimes it just doesn’t look great. So don’t bank on it. But it’s a nice bonus when it does. Right now, I have dried eucalyptus on my mantel and in my laundry room. The laundry room has been here there for over a year. Fer real.

I love this laundry room makeover! I can't believe those countertops are WOOD!

The other option is preserved eucalyptus. Preserved eucalyptus (affiliate) is a different colour of green- I’m pretty sure you can get it in a few different colours (I’ve seen red and a much deeper green). You don’t buy preserved eucalyptus from a florist- it’s found at craft stores (like Michaels). If you want to see how it looks ing (gorgeous!) home decor, iSpyDIY uses it all the time. Like in this gorgeous guest room post here.

You can also preserve eucalyptus yourself! I haven’t tried it YET but now that I know this, I am totally going to try! The girls over at The MerryThought share all about it. 

By the way… those two blogs are some of my forever faves. You should probably run over and follow them both now.

WHAT TYPE OF EUCALYPTUS SHOULD I BUY?

There are a few different types of eucalyptus that I like to buy. The three that I find the MOST common and easy to get my hands on are True Blue Eucalyptus, Silver Dollar Eucalyptus, and Seeded Eucalyptus. The other one that I shared in the video is called Willow Eucalyptus. I love that one as well but it’s not as common. You can mix them all together in a bouquet (so pretty!) or stick to one kind in a vase for an understated look.

True blue eucalyptus: close up

modern macrame wall hanging on navy wall

  • True Blue Eucalyptus is the classic eucalyptus. It’s a tall single stem with the stiffer leaves up the whole stem. This is the one you would have thought of before Pinterest. The fragrance is amazing and it dries really nicely. There is a mini version of this one as well called Baby Blue Eucalyptus.

Silver Dollar Eucalyptus: Close Up

Simple, neutral spring home tour- spring 'decor' I could actually pull off!

Classic Bathroom Makeover with marble hexagon tile and Modern Details- love the matte black with the chrome!

  • Silver Dollar Eucalyptus is the one that really took off with Pinterest. And because of that, it’s actually gotten more expensive over the past few years. It’s so crazy to me that Pinterest can do that! This one has those large, more round leaves that kind of bounce. You’ve probably seen large bouquets of this one for weddings (all over Pinterest!) and smaller stems in vases for home decor. I love to break up a large stem of silver dollar eucalyptus into smaller vases for different vignettes around the house and decor on open shelving.

Seeded Eucalyptus: Close up

  • Seeded Eucalyptus is the one I find easiest to get a hold of. It’s also the most affordable of them all (where I live/shop). One stem of eucalyptus is larger (like the silver dollar eucalyptus) and can be broken down into smaller stems for little vases. It’s called seeded eucalyptus because of the seed pods and those do open and drop seeds, so be mindful of that. The other thing I will note about this one (and willow eucalyptus) is that these varieties don’t last as long. They typically only last a week or so.

Willow eucalyptus as decor

  • Willow eucalyptus is more delicate still with small long leaves. I really love the shape of this one and I hadn’t seen it too much until recently and it really is so gorgeous! As I mentioned above, this one doesn’t last as long as other varieties.

 

SO do you use eucalyptus in your home decor? What’s your favourite kind? Any tips? Share them in the comments!

Category: Home DecorTag: Decorations, Florals, Tips and Tricks
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Comments

  1. jessica holden

    May 28 at 5:08 am

    I love this decor and the pictures are amazing. The willow eucalyptus is my favourite. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  2. lindsay gardiner

    Jan 21 at 8:13 pm

    Hi there! I’ve been searching for answers on eucalyptus and hopefully you might have advice for me. I’ve gotten some dried red craft store eucalyptus and I can’t hardly stand the smell. I’ve noticed that all of the dried craft store stuff has a terrible smell. Am I missing something? Should I do something to fix it? CAN I do something to fix it? Rinse it? Soak it? If you have any advice or suggestions, I’m willing to try them! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Colleen Pastoor

      Feb 27 at 9:42 pm

      I honestly don’t know! I’ve never bought dried craft store eucalyptus but I do know that there is red dried greenery that is scented like cinnamon- great for outdoor wreaths but not good for inside!

      Reply
      • Gina

        Apr 21 at 9:28 am

        Hi I love your post and beautiful decorations you did with eucalyptus… I hope you can help me… I absolutely love the smell and I want to know how to make my house smell like eucalyptus. Like how do you make that smell last all the time? Is it fresh eucalyptus? Dried eucalyptus? A few years ago I had went to a friend of a friends house and her house smelled amazing just like eucalyptus… that is the smell I would like to achieve. Does your house always smell like that? Thank you so much

        Reply
        • Colleen Pastoor

          Jul 11 at 12:13 am

          It definitely doesn’t last all the time! After it dries, the smell isn’t as strong but you could totally use eucalyptus essential oil for the same effect!

          Reply
    • Regina from LaRolf

      May 20 at 6:42 pm

      That smell you are describing is from the preservatives – unfortunately, if you are getting preserved/died eucalyptus, it will usually smell like that. We personally prefer fresh eucalyptus or to air dry them.

      Reply
  3. Jackie Hughes

    Jun 27 at 9:20 am

    My daughter wants to add fresh silver dollar eucalyptus to her wedding centerpieces. We were thinking one stem or part of a stem per display. Would the eucalyptus scent be too overpowering to people while they are eating? The reception will be indoors and there will be fewer than 20 tables.

    Reply
    • Colleen Pastoor

      Jul 12 at 12:24 am

      Totally not! It’s generally pretty subtle on the silver dollar. The true blue is the most scented :)

      Reply
      • Paul

        Sep 14 at 11:12 am

        Hello, Thank you for a great article. I have a question which I hope you could answer. I browsed the internet looking for a eucalyptus plant to be planted indoors and add a natural fragrance to the living room. It seems people use pictures and names incorrectly. Sometimes they would say it’s a silver dollar eucalyptus and shows a picture of another variety of eucalyptus or another website called it “silver drop” eucalyptus. So, I need to ask you if by “true blue” you specifically refer to “eucalyptus gunnii” right?

        Reply
  4. Marianna

    Jul 09 at 1:44 pm

    I’ve have started preserving my silver dollar eucalyptus 2 days ago, but I’m noticing that the minty pleasant smell is gone and instead ItS beginning to smell like rotting flowers. What is the purpose of preserving them? Is it just for looks? Is there a way to have it keep the smell ?

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Jul 26 at 12:00 pm

      Colleen has never had that happen! Preserving usually gives it a different smell altogether, but not unpleasant…

      Reply

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I’m Colleen: wife; mom to 4 wild ones; and DIY blogger behind Lemon Thistle. You can expect to see rad DIY, modern home decor, renovations, hand lettering and the occasional party on Lemon Thistle. Read More…

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