The Silver Dollar Tree, otherwise known as the Eucalyptus Cinerea or Argyle Apple, Silver Dollar Tree, is a somewhat well known tree plant native to the Australia.
It is best known in our houseplant index for its low maintenance and fast growth. This tree will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its blue-green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, this is exactly what we’ll cover in this Silver Dollar Tree Care Guide. So let’s dive in.
The fundamental caring guidelines for every Silver Dollar Tree can be summed up into the following:
- Water: The Silver Dollar Tree needs at least weekly watering, or more in extreme heat, preferably with regular water.
- Light: Keep your Eucalyptus Cinerea in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Silver Dollar Tree in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of sand and loam.
And that’s practically it! If you keep these three factors in check, your Silver Dollar Tree will likely have all it needs for it to survive and even thrive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Silver Dollar Tree belongs to the Myrtaceae family, the genus Eucalyptus and the species Cinerea, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Eucalyptus Cinerea (you-ka-LIP-tus sin-e-RE-a).
As with other Eucalyptus’s, the Silver Dollar Tree is an evergreen plant, which means it will be present year round in your garden.
Growing Region
The Silver Dollar Tree is a plant native to Australia. This is why the Eucalyptus Cinerea is used to growing in specific regions of Australia.
You might be wondering why your Silver Dollar Tree’s native region is important. Well, if you know where your plant originally came from, you’ll know which environment conditions it prefers, and with it, knowledge on how to replicate it at home.
With this in mind, the Eucalyptus Cinerea will be most used to regions where the plant hardiness level falls between 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11b, 11a and the ideal climate zone is between 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, H1, H2.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Silver Dollar Tree is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of Silver Dollar Tree are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Eucalyptus Cinerea can grow up to 20′ – 50′ (6m – 15m) in 20′ – 50′ (6m – 15m) and 20′ – 40′ (6m – 12m) in 20′ – 40′ (6m – 12m).
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful rounded shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
Water
In terms of watering, the Silver Dollar Tree is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Eucalyptus Cinerea needs at least weekly watering, or more in extreme heat, preferably with regular water.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively low to average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Silver Dollar Tree in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
However, in our experience, the best solution to knowing the right amount of water for your Silver Dollar Tree is with the ‘thumb’ technique. Basically, you insert your finger into the soil, and based if you feel the soil moist or dry, you determine if it needs any water, which is the most appropriate way to go about watering your leafy friend.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Silver Dollar Tree prefers to have soil with good drainage properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of sand and loam.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably neutral to acid soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Silver Dollar Tree requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this tree will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Eucalyptus Cinerea in full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being an evergreen plant, the Silver Dollar Tree will be present year round in your garden.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (early, mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), the fall, and during the winter.
Flowers
The Silver Dollar Tree produces some beautiful white, or gold/yellow and white flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Silver Dollar Tree have a beautiful blue-green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a alternate and opposite organization in its leaves.
You can expect the leaves from your Eucalyptus Cinerea to be around (1-3 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Silver Dollar Tree is well known for being able to attract birds, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for drought and animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Eucalyptus Cinerea will be fine.
Garden
How should you then organize your garden to include your new Silver Dollar Tree? Here are some recommendations by expert gardeners.
Most Eucalyptus Cinerea owners agree that this tree will look great in most rustic gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of informal and cottage, and in mediterranean garden styles.
In particular, the Silver Dollar Tree’s best use for landscaping within your garden is as wildlife garden, specimen, container, coastal exposure, cutting garden, privacy screen, or a windbreak.
Companion Plants
Silver Dollar Tree’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Ceanothus, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Callistemon will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
Even though we covered a lot of care information for your Silver Dollar Tree, remember the basics: sunlight, soil and water, as these should be enough to grow a healthy plant at home.
