Eucalyptus

Where does the meaning of eucalyptus come from?

Native to Australia, eucalyptus has long stood for protection. Its aromatic leaves were used in traditional Aboriginal medicine, and the association with healing followed the tree to Europe in the nineteenth century. Eucalyptus cinerea, the silver dollar gum, carries rounded, silvery-blue leaves that release their unmistakable scent when brushed. It is the foliage we reach for most, softening bright blooms and lending calm to quieter ones.

What does each colour of eucalyptus mean?

The studio buys eucalyptus in one colour, silver green, and it carries the flower's whole meaning.

• Silver greencalm, protection and quiet restoration

When is eucalyptus in season?

Eucalyptus is in season all year round, so it is in the studio this month.

In the studio's bunches it is foliage: the frame every bunch is built on, and the green that makes the colours read.

When should you give eucalyptus?

Eucalyptus carries peace, strength and remembrance, and the studio's guide to occasions lists it for weddings, sympathy, get well and new home. Each of those pages shows the other stems that say the same thing, and the bunches made for the day.

• Weddingslisted beside garden rose, spray rose and peony
• Sympathylisted beside anemone, hydrangea and chrysanthemum bloom
• Get welllisted beside sunflower, chrysanthemum bloom and gerbera
• New homelisted beside tulip, hydrangea and stocks

Which other flowers mean the same as eucalyptus?

The studio's guide to the meaning of flowers files every stem by what it says. These say the same as eucalyptus, so a bunch can carry the message in another season or another colour:

• Peacehydrangea, scabiosa, limonium and alchemilla
• Strengthdahlia, snapdragon, alstroemeria and sea holly
• Remembranceanemone, oriental lily, carnation and scabiosa

What goes well with eucalyptus in a bouquet?

Pairings follow the florist's rule: one voice leads and the others frame it, so a bunch has a focal flower, a secondary one, texture and green. Eucalyptus is foliage, and in the studio's pairings it sits with these, each with a meaning of its own:

• Garden Rosea focal flower, which means love and deep affection
• Lisianthusa secondary flower, which means appreciation and lifelong bonds
• Hydrangeaa focal flower, which means heartfelt gratitude
• Gypsophilatexture, which means everlasting love and innocence
• Waxflowertexture, which means enduring love and patience
• Scabiosaa secondary flower, which means unfortunate love and remembrance

How do I look after eucalyptus in a vase?

The studio's care card for a hand-tied bunch says: Your bunch is tied so it stands on its own. The string is part of the arrangement, so leave it on. Cut a couple of centimetres off every stem at an angle with sharp scissors. A fresh cut drinks; a dry one seals over. Stand them in a clean vase of fresh, cool water with the flower food we sent. Top it up daily and change it every two or three days. Strip any leaves that would sit below the waterline, because leaves in water go slimy and spoil the water. Keep them out of direct sun and away from radiators, and never next to the fruit bowl: ripening fruit gives off a gas that ages flowers. A cool room overnight does them good. If the house is warm, a north-facing windowsill or a hallway is kinder than the kitchen. Take out anything that goes over before the rest. One tired stem makes the whole bunch look tired, and it hurries the others along. Every flower keeps its own pace: tulips go on growing in the vase, lilies open a bud at a time, and the softest stems are over first. How long they go on depends on the stems and the room they are in.