From Australian gum trees to the florist's bucket
Eucalyptus is a large genus of trees and shrubs native to Australia, where they are called gum trees, with a few species reaching nearby islands to the north. Many species have two kinds of leaves: round juvenile leaves that clasp the stem in pairs, and long, often sickle-shaped adult leaves. A waxy coating on the leaves gives the silver-blue color florists prize, and the oil in them gives the familiar camphor-like scent. Koalas feed almost entirely on eucalyptus leaves. In the cut-greens trade the names describe shape more than species: silver dollar for big round leaves, gunnii for the small round leaves of the Tasmanian cider gum, seeded for stems carrying clusters of small round buds, and willow for long narrow leaves. Cut stems last a long time in a vase and dry well, which is one reason eucalyptus turns up in so many bouquets, wreaths and shower bundles.
Six varieties and four stem shapes
The set is built around the stems a florist would actually stock. There is silver dollar with round silver-green leaves, seeded eucalyptus with small round buds along the stem, willow with long slender leaves, baby blue with soft dusty-blue leaves, gunnii with small rounded leaves, and true blue with oval blue-green leaves. Four more images are about shape rather than variety: a single stem curving to one side, a short sprig with a cluster of round leaves, a long trailing stem with paired leaves, and a delicate sprig with small leaves and buds. Every stem is painted alone, without a vase or jar.
Wedding suites, spa labels and year-round greenery
Eucalyptus has become the default greenery of modern wedding stationery because it suits almost any flower and any season. Use it on save-the-dates, invitations, RSVP cards, menus, place cards, seating charts and welcome signs, and on matching bridal shower and engagement party invites. Dusty blue and sage green weddings lean on the baby blue and silver dollar stems in particular. Outside weddings, the plant's scent links it to steam rooms and wellness, so it appears on soap, candle and bath-salt labels, massage studio cards and spa gift certificates. Because it isn't tied to a holiday, it also works for winter events that want greenery without red and green.
Silver-green with soft florals
This page's palette sits in cool gray-greens and blue-greens, matched to DMC floss such as 927 Gray Green Light, 504 Blue Green Very Light and 503 Blue Green Medium. Those muted tones let soft florals carry the color. Pair the stems with blush peonies or garden roses for a classic wedding arrangement, or use the ready-made greenery wreath as a frame with eucalyptus stems tucked into the corners. More wedding art lives in the wedding hub, and other foliage sets are in the greenery hub.
Building an invitation border from single stems
Because each stem is a separate file, you can build a custom border instead of using a fixed frame. Place the long trailing stem along the top edge of a 5 x 7 inch invitation, then mirror the curved single stem into the opposite corner so the two lines lead the eye toward the names. Fill gaps with the short sprig and the seeded stem, rotating each copy a little so no leaf repeats in the same position. Each file is a 2048 x 2048 px transparent PNG, about 6.8 inches at 300 DPI, so even the trailing stem can run the full width of a 5 x 7 card at print quality.