Reasons to Love Eucalyptus
By Sarah Whiton
Eucalyptus adds beautiful texture and color to any floral arrangement. This time of year, its sage green color is a natural complement to warm fall tones, and as we head into winter months, these hearty greens stand out against dark green evergreen in wreaths and arrangements alike.
We can come up with tons of reasons to love using eucalyptus in our floral arrangements, and the first one is the fact that it comes in so many varieties! Here are a few of the varieties we use most often at Farmhouse Floral:
Spiral This is the variety that comes to mind for most people when they think of eucalyptus. It's long, thin branches have small leaves alternating around the stem, it has a strong fragrance, and a sticky texture. Spiral eucalyptus is great for drying, hanging in your shower, or adding line to an arrangement.
Seeded Although related to spiral eucalyptus, seeded eucalyptus doesn't look anything like it's cousin. Stems have multiple branches ending in heavy clusters of hard seeds and long or round flat leaves. It is mildly scented, often floppy, and adds great texture and color to floral designs.
Silver Dollar With its round, flat leaves and distinct sage color, silver dollar eucalyptus is a popular element in wedding designs right now. It usually has long branches, is mildly scented, and will hold up delicately when dried.
Bonsai This variety has small, flat leaves and short, branchy stems. It makes a great textural filler in floral arrangements and is light blue-sage in color. Bonsai eucalyptus is moderately scented and doesn't hold up well in dried floral arrangements.
Parvifolia Long, thin draping branches covered in dark green pointed leaves make parvifolia eucalyptus a beautiful addition to expansive floral arrangements. It has only a mild eucalyptus scent, doesn't dry, and with it's dark green color it looks the least like its family members.
Beyond the many flavors of eucalyptus available, here are even more reasons to love this year-round green:
- Eucalyptus has a fresh, clean scent
- As mentioned above, some varieties dried and enjoyed in permanent arrangements
- With so many varieties comes lots of texture options, which are only enhanced by its signature color.