Eu Better Beleaf It

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but silver dollars do. Krista Simons established Watering Rock Eucalyptus farm around a year ago. Now she has a small eucalyptus grove on the farm that has been in her family for five generations. She sells fresh and dried eucalyptus at farmers markets, to local florists or directly to brides. She grows four varieties on the farm: Silver Dollar, Silver Drop, Baby Blue and Lemon Eucalyptus. 

“I saw the demand for eucalyptus here but there was no supply,” she says. “I’ve always had a love for plants and it bloomed from there.” Krista just completed the NC State Extension Master Gardener program, which she says really helped improve her knowledge on soil science. Eucalyptus is not native to North Carolina so replicating its natural soil conditions can be challenging.

“I love watching them come to life in the summer. They’re evergreens, but they kind of stop new growth in the winter,” says Krista. She says people buy her eucalyptus bundles for everything from shower steamers to bouquet additions.

Krista also recently got a grant from the Natural Resource Conservation Service to build a high tunnel (basically a greenhouse in farmer speak) which will extend her harvest season. Although she has no set schedule, you might find Watering Rock Eucalyptus Farm set up at the Vass Farmers Market or James Creek Cider House’s Sunday markets.