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One of my favorite fillers for floral arrangements is silver dollar eucalyptus. This airy, showy species of eucalyptus adds a casual elegance to any floral arrangement.

A small grocery store bunch costs around $5, so I was very pleased when my neighbor gave away the branches of the silver dollar eucalyptus tree that she had cut down.

I made off with a couple of large branches. By then, the tree had been cut down for several days. But the branches still smelled fresh and wonderful, and the large, round, blue-silver leaves were still gorgeous.

I cut the the branches into smaller sections to use in floral arrangements.

Drying the Eucalyptus – The Easy Way

I had more eucalyptus than I could use at any given time. So I wanted to try drying it.

I learned that eucalyptus can be preserved by placing the stems in a combination of water and glycerin – if the stems are fresh enough to absorb the mixture.

But these stems were starting to dry out. There was no way that they were going to absorb anything.

I read that eucalyptus could be air dried if placed in a warm, dry, and dark location. So for lack of a better place, I put them in my little greenhouse. It was bright in there, but still warm and dry. And I figured that two out of three wasn’t bad.

After several days, it seemed the eucalyptus had dried, and I needed to take back the greenhouse for other things.

I left one small bunch in the greenhouse, and it has done fairly well although withering a bit from the bright exposure.

Alone or With Flowers

The rest I stashed around the house. It looks elegant all by itself, whether in a large bunch or just one sprig.

The eucalyptus has been dried for at least a month now, and while the leaves have curled a little and the color has changed from silver-blue to more of a green, it’s still very beautiful.

And it still makes a lovely filler. Here, leaves are simply tucked in where needed to conceal a tape grid at the mouth of this vase.