Cider Gum is really a fast, sun-hungry tree asked to live in a pot, and indoors it works only if you can give it your brightest window and keep it small. The reward is that gorgeous silver-blue, coin-shaped juvenile foliage and a clean eucalyptus scent every time you brush past it. Starve it of light and it stretches, pales, and drops the lower leaves.
The two things it won't forgive are soggy roots and gloom. Pot it in a gritty, free-draining mix, let the top inch dry between waterings, and turn the pot regularly so it grows evenly. To keep it bushy and full of those rounded young leaves rather than racing for the ceiling, pinch the growing tips hard or cut it back to a low framework each spring — it pushes back vigorously. Many people summer it outdoors for real sun, then bring it in before hard frost. See its garden profile for growing it outdoors in the ground.
Wants the brightest, sunniest window you have — several hours of direct light. Too little and it stretches, thins, and loses the tight silver foliage.
Putting it outside for summer? See its garden profile — hardiness zones, bloom window, and when to bring it back in.Water thoroughly and drain; it drinks fast in a bright spot but resents standing in water
Tolerant — forgives a missed watering and prefers to dry out.
Eucalyptus oil is toxic if eaten — stomach upset and worse in pets, and the foliage and oil shouldn't be ingested by people. Aromatic but keep leaves out of reach.
Water when the top inch dries — more often in a bright spot
Feed with a balanced houseplant fertiliser
Pinch the tips or cut back hard in spring to keep it shrubby and full of juvenile foliage
Rotate the pot a quarter-turn so it grows straight toward the light
Leaf drop and stretching almost always mean too little light
Repot up a size in spring when roots fill the pot