Artificial eucalyptus: tree, trailing plant or branches, which to choose

Artificial eucalyptus comes in three forms. The potted tree, 120 or 140 cm tall, stands on the floor. The 75 cm trailing plant, delivered as a stem, cascades down from a shelf. The decorative branches, in soft colours, slip into a vase with dried flowers. None of the three needs water.

Real eucalyptus, and why artificial

Take the cider gum, Eucalyptus gunnii, which is planted in gardens. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) describes it as a full-sun tree. Fully grown, it reaches more than 12 m tall and 8 m wide. Under glass, it notes that hard pruning may be needed to keep it in check.

It is mainly its young leaves that people like: round and a pale blue-green. They change shape as the tree ages.

In a house, a real eucalyptus lacks light, and it grows too big. Artificial eucalyptus keeps the light foliage people like, at the scale of the room.

There is another point. The ASPCA, the American animal protection association, lists eucalyptus among plants that are toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The cause: its essential oils. An artificial eucalyptus contains none. Even so, an animal should not chew a synthetic material: place the plant out of its reach if it has that habit.

The potted tree: 120 or 140 cm

This is an artificial eucalyptus the size of an indoor tree. It has slender branches and light foliage, in grey-green tones. It is made of plastic. It arrives in a basic pot. The cachepot is not included.

You choose between two heights on the product page:

• 140 cm: on the floor, next to a sofa or a sideboard.
• 120 cm: on the floor in a small room, or next to an armchair.

The manufacturer recommends it where a real plant struggles: a dim corner, an office, a room where the temperature changes. It states indoor use.

Its foliage is light. It lets the wall behind it show through, like an olive tree. To choose the height for your ceiling, and to weight the pot, see our guide to the large artificial plant.

The 75 cm trailing plant

An artificial trailing eucalyptus, with round leaves in a soft green. It arrives as a stem, with no pot or vase. Its branches are flexible: you give them the shape you want.

• In a vase, set on top of a bookcase or a wardrobe.
• Laid flat on a high shelf, with the foliage trailing in front of the shelves below.

It is also sold with a round green porcelain vase, in a single parcel. Our guide to the hanging artificial plant explains how to set up a cascade.

The decorative branches, in colour

These branches are not green. They have soft shades that go well with dried flowers. They are sold without a vase.

The 83 cm branch

A single stem, long and light. Two colours: peach or pink. At 83 cm, it needs a tall vase.

The 3 branches of 37 cm

Three short stems, in one colour per set: pink or cream. To mix the two colours, take one set of each. The manufacturer does not specify their material.

Which vase for the branches

An artificial branch has no root ball. It goes into any vase. What remains is to choose the height and the neck.

Our rule of thumb, the same as for bouquets of artificial flowers: the visible part measures between one and two times the height of the vase.

For the neck:

• A vase with a narrow neck, such as a bud vase, holds a single branch nicely upright. See our guide to the bud vase.
• A wide vase needs several branches, otherwise they lean and the vase looks empty.

Arranging with dried flowers

Their product pages suggest setting the coloured branches with dried flowers. Three steps:

1. Place the eucalyptus first. It gives the height and shape of the bouquet.
2. Add the dried flowers around it, a little lower. They fill the heart of the vase.
3. Stay within one colour family. A pink or peach branch goes with shades of straw, cream and dusty pink.

An artificial branch does not crumble. Dried flowers, on the other hand, are fragile: handle them last. To choose and keep them, see our guide to dried flowers in a vase.

Care

• The tree and the trailing plant: no watering, and a wipe with a dry cloth against dust.
• The branches: no care, and no water in the vase.
• Sun: keep the soft colours away from a window in full sun. The product pages make no promise that they will last.

All our plants are on the artificial plants page.

In short

1. On the floor, take the 120 or 140 cm potted tree, in plastic, for indoors.
2. Up high, take the 75 cm trailing plant, delivered as a stem, to slip into a vase.
3. For a vase, take the coloured branches: 83 cm in peach or pink, or 37 cm in pink or cream.
4. A tall 30 to 40 cm vase for the 83 cm branch, a small 13 to 18 cm vase for the 37 cm ones.
5. An artificial eucalyptus has no scent, and does not contain the essential oils of the real one.

Sources

• Eucalyptus gunnii, Royal Horticultural Society
• Eucalyptus, toxic plant list, ASPCA
• Manufacturer data sheets for the artificial eucalyptus (heights, material, presentation, colours, use)