How to Grow Eucalyptus for Cut Flowers (Even in a Short Growing Season)

The dream: loads of eucalyptus that you lovingly grew from seed adorning your flower arrangements and wreaths.

The reality? Fighting other cut flower growers for seeds the minute a seed company updates its listings, struggling with poor germination and long growing times, then barely getting any eucalyptus to show for it because it feels like you practically live in the Arctic, and it was a particularly cold summer.

But then you take your meagre harvest, throw it in a bouquet or use it as foliage in a wreath, and you’re back in love, vowing you’re going to figure out how to grow eucalyptus from seed in a cold climate and short growing season.

I live in hardiness Zone 3 with anywhere from a 90-110 day growing season, and I’ve successfully grown eucalyptus from seed and lived to tell the tale. Here’s how I did it and what I’m going to do differently to improve my harvest.

A woman with long brown hair smiles at the camera while holding small eucalyptus plants in her hands. She is standing behind a table with various plants and seedlings. She is wearing a pink top and a dark cardigan, and the background is blurred.

If you prefer video content, check out my video, How to Grow Eucalyptus in a Cold Climate, on YouTube:

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IS IT EASY TO GROW EUCALYPTUS FROM SEED?

In theory, yes. Eucalyptus needs light, water, and heat like any other cut flower.

In practice, there are things that make it especially challenging in a cold climate and short growing season. For one, eucalyptus needs around 200 days to mature. That means in Zone 3, I’m starting it in January or February. It’s also notoriously slow to both germinate and grow.

In 2020, I started my eucalyptus seeds around mid-February. The picture below shows how big the largest one was by April 25th. These plants also prefer heat, which they did not get because we had a particularly cold summer that year. So my largest plant was somewhere around 12-18 inches and not very bushy.

Learn more about seed starting here.

Close-up of small green eucalyptus seedlings growing in a tray filled with soil. The focus is on a single sprout in the foreground, surrounded by soil that is partially covered with green and white mold. Other seedlings are visible in the background.

A GROWING STRATEGY FOR COLD CLIMATES

If you’ve never grown eucalyptus from seed before, here’s how to do it step by step:

Figure out your first and last frost dates. You can see how I do it in this video.
Count backwards from your last frost date 200 days. This is the latest you should start your seeds. I personally would start them around a month earlier to give you some wiggle room if they germinate extra slowly or your summer ends up colder than usual.
Harden off your seedlings carefully. After all that work, you’d hate to lose them!! I make removable tunnels like these to make the process easier.
If you own a greenhouse, plant them directly in the ground in the greenhouse. They’ll be much happier, and you’ll gain a few extra growing days at the end of the season.
If you don’t own a greenhouse, choose the hottest microclimate in your yard to grow them.
Water your plants regularly, and it should reward you with fragrant bunches of eucalyptus in late August and into September.

Learn how to grow a cut flower garden here.

A hand holds up several sprigs of fresh green eucalyptus against a plain white background. The leaves are small, rounded, and arranged alternately along slender stems.

WHERE TO BUY EUCALYPTUS SEEDS (ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE IN CANADA)

There are a lot of online seed companies that sell the Silver Drop and Silver Dollar varieties of eucalyptus, and many of them are either in Canada or shipped to Canada. At the time of writing this, eucalyptus seems to be very popular to grow, so the seeds often sell out fast. Also, shipping times are slow, so you have to order well ahead of the time you need them.

Here are the online seed companies, in no particular order:

Young eucalyptus plants growing in small, recycled newspaper pots are placed on a table. Additional seedlings in black plastic trays are visible in the background. Soil is scattered around, adding to the natural, nurturing atmosphere of the gardening scene.

If you liked this blog post, find me on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to follow more of my farmer florist journey and join in the cut flower conversation! I also make weekly videos on my YouTube channel. You can also sign up for bouquet-making events and buy my flowers at my sister site Shifting Blooms. I hope to see you there!

READY TO GROW YOUR OWN BEAUTIFUL CUT FLOWER GARDEN WITHOUT THE HASSLE?

I’ve taken all the guesswork out of creating a cut flower garden with my e-book, Cut Flowers Made Simple. It’s the perfect way for beginner and intermediate gardeners to start their own cut flower garden with or without seed starting.

Finally, you can create a stunning cut flower garden with everything you need to make beautiful bouquets all summer long.

Click on the picture to find out more, or get your copy.

LOOKING TO START A CUT FLOWER BUSINESS?

Have you been researching all over the internet and in free Facebook groups about starting a cut flower business and are feeling more confused than ever? Don’t believe you can make a profit from a cut flower garden on modest terms? Check out this video for how I went from a wannabe flower farmer to a resilient backyard business owner!

And, if you’re still feeling frustrated, worried about spending too much money and not making your money back, or want to learn more about profitable small-scale flower farming, you can enroll in Backyard Business, my program for aspiring flower farmers. Some of my students were already making money (enough to pay the cost of the course!!) in the middle of winter by getting creative and trying new things. I hope to see you there!

Learn more here!

A diamond-shaped sign over a blurred background of eucalyptus plants reads: "how to grow eucalyptus in a cold climate!" The text is framed by a teal border, and the background shows out-of-focus green leaves.

A hand holding a bunch of eucalyptus branches against a white background. Text overlays at the top read, "How to grow eucalyptus in a cold climate" and "ShiftingRoots.com" at the bottom.

Comments

Sarah

I always thought eucalyptus would be very difficult to grow, especially living in Canada. It looks like I was wrong. I might have to try to get some seeds and see if I can get some to grow this year. I better do so quickly too because I have a very short and cool growing season to work with. It's always fun to experiment with different plants to find out which ones grow well for me.

Diane Thomason

I am fairly new to cut flower farming. It excited me that your growing zone is the same as mine; Zone 3. I live in Northern Minnesota; approximately 100 miles from the Canadian border. The last two years, I have keyed in Zinnias and Sunflowers. So far, I have averaged one and a half months to sell my flowers. I would like to extend my season to two to three months. I don't have a greenhouse but would like to try low tunnels , winter sowing, or whatever.

Sherrell McColm

Thanks Kristen. That is so helpful. I have not tried eucalyptus yet but my seeds are on the way. Appreciate your helpful tips.

Zone 3 Vegetable Gardening

Amazing! I did knot know you could grow eucalyptus from seed in zone 3! Are you able to overwinter you eucalyptus plants indoors?

Rachel

Hi Kristen, when would you pot up your seedlings

Kathy

Should you pinch them to make them bushier?

Carmel McIntyre

I love Eucalyptus silver dollar and so glad to find you I live in zone 8a in Georgia. I need to get some seeds so I can grow them. I just love them don't know why I think the blue green color contrasts with greenery of other bushes in my yard

Paz G

Hi I'm interested in growing a potted eucalyptus...any suggestions on stores I can purchase. I'm willing to try growing it from seeds. Thanks

Mary

I purchased a pot of eucalyptus from my grocery store a few weeks ago. I don't ever recall seeing a growing plant before. When does the plant flower (Silver Dollar) and how are seeds harvested. I live in Zone 4. Not sure whether to plant it in the ground or leave in pot.

Erik

A friend gave me a nice eucalyptus plant at the end of summer weather here in Louisville, KY. It seems very happy. I moved it inside recently because we are starting to get frost warnings. Will this plant survive the winter (next 5 months) indoors? I’m not looking to harvest anything. I just enjoy the plant. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Robin

Love your Article on How to grow Eucalyptus!! It's going to be My first time in Zone 8b and I have a Greenhouse! I'm Excited! . Thank You, Sincerely Robin Zuppan

Noreen Williamson

Where is a good place to grow cut flowers, sunny or north side of house. What varieties for North and south.

Danielle Hastings

Thank you for this blog. I live in zone 5b but in Colorado where the winters are harsh and it can still dump snow end of May. My question for you is about how much do you get for cut flowers from one plant. I am curious how many plants I would need to plant to have eucalyptus for bouquets at the farmers market?

Chrissy

Hi! Thanks for this helpful article. This is my second year growing eucalyptus, and so far it’s going better than year one! I have a question about pinching, my plants are now a few inches tall, should I pinch them at some point to encourage them to grow bushier? I know some plants really benefit from it, but some absolutely don’t, and I can’t find that info for eucalyptus. Thanks!

Mary

Just wondering if you know the type of eucalyptus seed that is used in fresh floral arrangements know as “seeded eucalyptus”. From what I’ve read the seeded eucalyptus is just a stage of the eucalyptus growth cycle. It’s a different leaf than the traditional silver dollar and silver drop. I know there are hundreds of varieties of eucalyptus . I would really like to find the seed it’s grown from and try growing it. Thanks

Samantha

Did you transplant the eucalyptus into the ground, or into pots?

Lynda

I live near Edmonton, and my sister asked me to grow some eucalyptus for her wedding next August. I have the seed, but I was wondering what you would recommend for seed starting. What temperature and humidity do they like? Should I use heat mats under my trays? Should I use the plastic tray covers? Thanks!

Diane

I started eucalyptus silver drop from seed last winter. Boy it’s as slow to grow as lisianthus. I got 6 or 7 nice plants by fall and cut enough to dry some in glycerin. I potted up 7 of them in a big pot that is currently sitting by my south facing patio door doing really well. After reading this I will plant them into a raised bed in my greenhouse in spring. I started Silver Dollar from seed about a month ago. It’s currently under lights and very tiny. My son is getting married Aug of 25 and the plan is to have some eucalyptus ready in time. I got my seeds from William Dam seeds.