Silver Princess Blossom
My silver princess (eucalyptus caesia) is flowering. 
It’s a beautiful bright splash of color on a wintry grey day. The rainbow lorikeets (small, colourful, noisy parrots) and other birds love the blossoms too and gather in the branches, feasting and chattering and squawking.
I love this tree, with its weeping habit, its dark shaggy bark at the base, silvery branches higher up, and every stage of the flowering process is beautiful, from the delicate pink buds, to the red flowers, and finally, the silver gum nuts.
The photo below is one I took last year and it shows the buds as well as the flowers.
And below that is a photo of the silver gum-nuts that remain when the flowering is over.
I sometimes cut them off and leave them on the nature strip (grass strip) in front of the house, and they always disappear fast. People collect them for dried arrangements. They also make beautiful natural Christmas decorations.
Here in the US, we often see the round leaf Eucalyptus stems sold fresh or dried for arrangements. They have a lovely herbal fragrance. I have some in the dried flower arrangement on my table now. Do the leaves of yours have a scent and do the flowers have a classic flower scent or some of that herbal smell as well?
I think the Eucalyptus trees introduced to California have long slender leaves like yours, but I haven’t heard they have such interesting flowers and pods.
Robyn, the round leaves are usually the immature leaves, and I think some florists’ suppliers prune their eucalyptus trees regularly to ensure that. Eucalypts can take any amount of hard pruning — the producers of eucalyptus oil cut their trees almost to the ground every year, and the trees bounce back.
Anne – through the last few years, you’ve introduced me to so many plants I’ve never seen nor known about – and this is another beautiful one, indeed! What a joy to watch it through the seasons – lucky you!
Thanbk you, Constance — I’ve been wondering how that Christmas bush went in your garden.
Such a beautiful tree. I would love to have one in my yard but can’t have tall trees in my development because we can’t block anyone’s view of the Pacific Ocean.
What a shame, jean. I actually love looking at water views through trees.