My Favorite Under $10 Grocery Store Floral Hack (That Lasts Months)

This blog post is likely not about to blow anyone’s mind. You probably already know this, but in case you forgot, need a refresher or well, I guess on the off chance don’t actually know, keep reading. (Enticing, huh?)

With Thanksgiving this week and Christmas decorations either happening now or in the coming days/weeks, I thought it best to dust off my favorite, very affordable floral hack. Ladies and the two gentlemen that might be reading, may I introduce you to eucalyptus, the best bang for your floral buck.

Quick intro to my go-to greenery friend: eucalyptus comes in several forms, three of which are very easy to find at Trader Joes or Whole Foods:

Baby blue (or true blue) eucalyptus: You’ll know the baby blue variety by its stacked, rigged leaves. I typically skip this one because I find the look to be a bit stiff but your home, your rules.

Silver dollar eucalyptus: This is the cheapest kind, I find. It’s like the russet potato of the floral world…hella cheap, SO versatile and universally loved. I recently bought a GIANT bunch of this stuff that was enough for three vases for a whopping $6.99 at Whole Foods.

Seeded eucalyptus: If I had to pick a favorite, I’d easily swing over to seeded eucalyptus. It’s heavy, floppy and just so pretty on its own or mixed in with other florals. I typically buy a bunch or two of this and another bunch or two of the silver dollar kind to have some variety in all the vases I fill in a room. Otherwise, it gets a bit samesies.

Quick note for anyone with pets (especially cats): a simple Google search told me that eucalyptus is toxic to most animals (except koalas, I guess), so keep that in mind if you have a furry friend who likes to go munching on foliage.

Eucalyptus stays soft and fresh in water for about two weeks (and smells so good), but it also dries and preserves for…ever? The eucalyptus you see here in the photos of my living room are from two years ago. I literally JUST tossed them in place of fresh stems for a video project I had to do where I wanted brighter green plants (also, stay tuned in the coming weeks about that…I’m SUPER pumped about this and I think you will be, too). So basically, all that to say, you could get some bunches of eucalyptus and leave them in your vase for, um, months or, if you’re lazy like I am, years. Now that’s value, folks.

Anyhow, fresh or dried stems of eucalyptus (any kind) also are fantastic for filling out faux greenery you might use to decorate for the holidays. Last Thanksgiving, I bought some eucalyptus for the table, and the same weekend, turned around and shoved it into the garland on my mantel and BOOM, my plastic garland came to life-ish.

So, if you haven’t already made your grocery store trip to buy all your Turkey Day food, or you have a last-minute trip to make and need some florals, don’t walk by the eucalyptus without grabbing a bunch or two. Tell them Arlyn sent you (I mean, you don’t have to, but I talk to my plants so…maybe you should, too).

Thanks, as always, for being here. This community still feels intimate enough that I feel the need to share my gratitude for your eyeballs. Hopefully, one day, we’ll be busting at the seams with readers (and I’ll be grateful then, too), but for now, I’m lucky to have this group of you pop on by and read what I have to say and share. See ya next time!