Home Preserving Eucalyptus for Decor, Tea and Medicine

Preserving eucalyptus is something I try to do for two reasons, because it is beautiful to admire and has many health benefits. In this post I’ll share different kinds of eucalyptus, how they grow, and how we preserved it for decor and culinary uses.

woman sorting eucalyptus on kitchen counter

Drying Eucalyptus to Preserve

This year we preserved the eucalyptus we miraculously received through meeting a conference attendee.

I hung the eucalyptus branches on string to air dry over several weeks. Each branch is tied to the string, and the stream tied to wall pins that hung in our living room over the summer.

Steps for Air Drying Eucalyptus

Sort eucalyptus branches
Measure a piece of string for the are where your eucalyptus will hang to dry horizontally
Knot tie eucalyptus branches along the length of the string
Tie ends of the string to wall pins
Pin up both ends of the string to the wall
Eucalyptus branches will air dry for a few weeks
Test them for crispness every so often
They are dried when they snap easily

woman cutting string to preserve eucalyptus

knotting a string around eucalyptus branch

eucalyptus branches tied to string in a garland to dry

hanging eucalyptus garland in living room to dry

Watch how we dried our eucalyptus

See a step by step tutorial of me creating the garland that we used to dry our eucalyptus branches here on Youtube.

Eucalyptus Decor

Eucalyptus has long been a favourite for home decor because of its interestingly shaped leaves. Some round and hard like the True Blue variety, others round and soft like the Silver Dollar and Gum Drop varieties. There are also some with long and wavy leaves like the Willow kind. What a beautiful creation of varieties, and preserving eucalyptus for decor is a great way to keep benefitting from this plant.

Eucalyptus Wall Art

While the eucalyptus hung against our living room wall to dry, it make for some beautiful wall art. If you have a bare wall that could use a little greenery, typing the branches to a string and pinning it up with wall pins is a clever way to add wall art to any room.

We currently rent a one bedroom suite and don’t put up any permanent wall fixtures. While we could if we want to, we plan to stay simple so that there aren’t any major wall repairs when we move out someday.

Wall pins are great in such cases, because they only leave a tiny hole in the wall that is barely noticeable unless you stand directly infant of the wall. These holes would also be very easy to patch up before we move out.

Centrepiece

The True Blue and Gum Drop varieties of the eucalyptus look stunning in a vase of flowers, or just on their own.

woman arranging true blue eucalyptus in a vase

I’d imagine that the Willow variety would also look look beautifully laid flat on a table as a centre runner, or clipped the front of a bridal table.

Door Wreath for Christmas and All Year Round

With the eucalyptus hanging in our living room to dry for several weeks, it was ready to become a Christmas garland later in the year.

Our landlords trimmed their grape vines at the end of the summer season when they harvested their grapes, which left heaps of grape vines in their compost.

Now let me tell you, grape vines are the perfect natural material to use for creating a wreath base. The branches are supples and is easily shaped into a circle and can twist so that the branches knot themselves for the shape to hold.

eucalyptus wreath from willow eucalyptus leaves wine branches

The Willow Eucalyptus leaves naturally flow and elegantly wrap around the grape vines. This makes for simple and beautiful greenery to hang on the front door for Christmas or anytime of the year.

Watch the Tutorial of this Eucalyptus Garland

Look at the step by step tutorial of me making this eucalyptus garland on Youtube.

Medical Uses of Eucalyptus

Not only is eucalyptus beautiful for decor ideas, but it is also healthy to preserve for tea. There are many reports of the benefits of eucalyptus, including some of the benefits mentioned below.

Eucalyptus Tea Benefits

Treats colic or fever in children
Treats diarea
Good for indigestion
Helps nausea
Soothes menstral cramps
Aids inflammation
Slows osteoporosis
Treat cancer

Eucalyptus Steam

Preserving eucalyptus for the times when your respiratory system is clogged because of a flue or cold can be a symptom soother. Inhaling eucalyptus can help to clear the respiratory tract in just a few minutes.

You could do this by setting up the following practice:

Boil water in a kettle or on the stove
Pour it into a bowl and crush eucalyptus leaves into the water
Cover your head with a towel
Inhale the eucalyptus scent through the hot water steam

crushing eucalyptus leaves into a silver bowl

Alternatively, you could use drops of eucalyptus essential oils in the hot water if you do not have any organic leaves. Just remember that the essential oils are highly concentrated and you just need a drop or two.