Filling up your floral designs with texture

Creating memorable designs often times starts beneath the flowers. You start shaping up your designs and giving them life through layers upon layers of textures, often times this comes from the greens we use.

While the “focus” flowers will always be the star in any arrangement, the greens we chose help to frame those gorgeous premium blooms and in a way give it life.

Here are some of my favorite greeneries.

- DUSTY MILLER -

The soft and delicate silvery leaves add a romantic touch to any designs, they are available year round but i particularly love using dusty miller in spring and winter designs.

Dusty miller is available in flat leaves , see image above or lacy leaves , see image below. I suggest using a combination of the two for an exttra eplosion of texture.

- SEEDED EUCALYPTUS -

The thing I like the most about seeded eucalyptus is the Double Texture : the denty seeds and the whimsy small leaves, not to mention the many variations in colors that naturally occur with the plant, you can find very young strands that are a very pale almost gray shade or larger older branches that have a darker green tone even with hints of burgundy and larger more defined pods.

- PERVIFOLIA EUCALYPTUS -

All Eucalyptus species are very popular as greens and fillers in the cut flower industry.

Parvi Eucalyptus (also known as Eucalyptus Parvula or Parvifolia),is however one of my favorite. It has small, delicate and fragrant foliage that can be oval or elongated. It gives alluring texture and fragrance to arrangements and can be used for wedding work, garlands, wreaths and bouquets. This particular variety is very hardy and does not dry out as fast as others. Like other varieties of eucalyptus foliage , this type can also be preserved and painted for use in dried arrangements and wreaths.

- LIMONIUM -

Limonium lends a delicate touch of whitethat completes a floral design.

Limonium is a hybrid version of statice and is a popular alternative to baby’s breath. Commonly referred to as sea lavender and caspia, limonium can add height and texture to everything from bridal bouquets to wedding arches and even boutonnieres.

It is available year round but my favorite season to use this is winter I love it minimally paired with blue thistle and succulents for a wintery textural arrangement of subtle muted gray, white and blue tones.

Not only is this filler long lasting, but it also dries well, making it a great addition to dried floral arrangements, wreaths, and decorative swags.

- SILVER BRUNIA BERRIES -

I debated with myself a bit before adding this. Normally the common perception of fillers and greenery is “ the cheap things that surround flowers”…well that’s not always the case….quite a few fillers are more costly that roses, but thgey absolutely carry a design to the next level.

Silver Brunia is a whimsical flower that will add a magical touch to any floral arrangement, it is a winter flower and it features a stem with a spray of branches that reach out into ball-like ends. Each of the branches and ball like ends are soft greyish green color that almost looks like it was kissed by frost. They also have a soft, fuzzy surface that will give any DIY bouquet or centerpiece a textured and natural style.

Available during fall and winter, Silver Brunia is ideal for winter weddings and other cold weather events. The silvery color matches winter wonderland themes perfectly, it also dries perfectly!

-SEA HOLLY -

Commonly called “Sea Holly,” these distinct flowers are very similar to globe thistles. Their silvery-blue colors and shape provide a striking contrast and subtle hue to any arrangement. Whimsical to the core they are one of those versy versatile blooms that can be elevated to a chic modern design as well as dressed down to rustic must have.

-PLUMOSA FERN -

Plumosa adds a woodsy, refreshing accent to your designs. . Each stem contains several branches of fern leaves, that resemble soft, short pine needles and gift designs a very unique texture and deep green hue. Additionally, Plumosa is very light and airy, meaning it adds that exceptional twist of green without overpowering the rest of the arrangement. This makes it an extremely versatile greenery filler. I love it in both vase arrangements and wedding arches because its natural cascade…. the only downfall is it will shed.

- MAIDEN HAIR FERN -

These are so pretty and delicate, they add a fresh shade of green to vase arrangements and bouquets and a lot of movement. They are however very delicate so I personally try to reserve these for special event designs and bridal works.