Eucalyptus is a popular plant to grow for foliage and the grey-green juvenile leaves in particular compliment pastel or dusky flower tones often found in wedding bouquets and arrangements. Along with its pleasing aesthetics, eucalyptus has a warm, woody fragrance, credited with soothing qualities. Include it in winter wreaths for a contemporary update on traditional wreath floristry and a comforting scent.
At Field Gate, we grow lots of eucalyptus plants, in a variety of forms, and it’s one of our most useful and adaptable foliage plants. However, it does need some protection in winter and some varieties can grow very large, so do your homework and make sure you have both the space and knowledge to house and care for your ‘Euc’ before you go shopping.
In most parts of the UK, eucalyptus can be planted out between March and October. If you’re planting in early autumn, we’d recommend September to give your plants time to get established in their new position before frosts arrive. Our ‘go-to’ for eucalyptus plants and care advice are UK nursery Hardy Eucalyptus. They have compiled a really useful article on Choosing Your Species which we’d recommend you read before choosing yours. It includes considerations such as size, fragrance, winter interest and what you’re likely to be using your foliage for.
Our top three Eucalyptus at Field Gate are:
Eucalyptus cinerea – Silver Dollar
and the popular Eucalyptus gunnii – Cider Gum (can grow very large but dwarf varieties are available).
If you’re worried about the potential size of your eucalyptus plant, opt for dwarf or medium-sized varieties, most of which will grow happily in a suitably-sized pot.
Eucalyptus plants are rated H4 or H5 for hardiness in the UK (which equates to -5 to -10°C or -15 to -10 respectively). However, the positioning of the plants, how well they are established, what sort of season they’ve been through (we’ve just had a very dry summer for example), how fluctuating the weather/temperature conditions are through winter and how long sub-zero temperatures persist for, can all be factors in their survival through the winter months. At Field Gate we lost quite a few plants during a prolonged freeze in 2023, so now fleece our plants from November onwards and they have all survived subsequent winters. For more on winter hardiness, we’ll refer you back to Hardy Eucalyptus as their knowledge of this genus is unmatched.
Whether you opt for one or two dwarf varieties in pots or decide to establish a small copse of Euc, we wish you happy growing and much future enjoyment from your eucalyptus plants!