There is a large amount of foliage you can grow to help create that special arrangement. Whether it be a welcome vase of flowers to greet you when you open the front door, a warm glowing table arrangement to compliment the Christmas festivities, or that beautiful garland to adorn your staircase on your daughters wedding, when she makes her stunning entrance towards her new life. Flower arrangements play an important part in a lot of our memorable moments.
I would like to share with you just a few of my favourite home grown foliage that I use regularly and grow quite easily in my own garden, in Stamullen.
Eucalyptus : I love this foliage for its beautiful scent. What a wonderful blue to green background for any Christmas table arrangement. It is particularly hardy in arrangements. Eucalyptus is a very versatile foliage and dry’s particularly well. It can be cut in advance, hung up to dry and sprayed in a variety of colours or glitter sprayed, making it very popular at Christmas. It is also beautiful to use in your hand tied bouquets. Although this is one of my favourite it can grow quite large and fast. If you are not lucky enough to have a large garden in Balbriggan, look out for the slower growing versions.
Ivy : Many of us are not a big fans of ivy due to the damage it can cause by climbing up and choking our beautiful trees. This however does not deter me from liking this plant as it works wonderfully in flower arrangements. If you are very concerned about it taking over and causing damage you can grow this plant indoors. I do not worry about it taking over my garden as it gets well chopped back with all of the arrangements I make. If by any rare chance I have some to spare I will bring in to work with me, as it is one plant you never get tired of using. It is also a hardy plant that lasts well in arrangements. It is extremely popular because of its natural draping effect which makes it wonderful for adorning your staircase, decorating seats down the aisle of your local church in Ardgillan, or wiring to create loop effects. This plant can also be dried and sprayed to your desired affect.
Hostas: What a beautiful summer growing plant. Although this plant is not the longest lasting I love it for its colour variation in its leaves. It can be a difficult one to use in arrangements as its stems are not strong enough to break into your floral foam. It is however very beautiful in vase arrangements and used a lot in bridal bouquets. Here at Flowers Now we use frequently in bridal work. Hostas are best planted surrounded by gravel as they are a favourite snack for our slimey friends.
Grass: There is nothing better than closing your eyes and listening to the sound of moving grass in a light breeze. Extremely relaxing. Grass yes we see it everywhere but |I am not talking about your normal lawn grass. Grass comes in a variety of width sizes and colours. It is long lasting, hardy and can also be dried and sprayed. It can be used in any form of arrangement, from vases, bouquets (if long enough), baskets, center arrangements for your table. It like the ivy also has that draping effect and looks particularly pretty with beads on it.
Laurel: This plant is particularly popular as a hedge, which just means all the more foliage for your arrangements. It is extremely hardy but treat for pests as nobody likes to see an arrangement with little holes in the leaves. It can be used in any form of arrangement but look for thinner stems when placing in a vase or bouquet. It is a great one for doing larger arrangements when a lot of foliage is required.
Conifer: An extremely easy plant to grow. Can be grown in small pots, cut into different shapes (topiary), This plant can be used in any arrangement but I would not generally use it in vases or bouquets. It is however great to use in funeral work. It is very hardy and comes in different shades of green for light green through to darker green and even a bluish shade.
As with all foliage make sure you cut the best stems for your arrangements, no signs of bite marks. Allow them to have a good drink before using, overnight if possible. If not spraying with colour or glitter, spray with a leaf shine to give that glossy effect. I find it is nice to use a few types of foliage rather than sticking with one but try to colour contrast them. Never use foliage that has new growth as this new growth will wilt quickly in your arrangement. I hope you have enjoyed my favourite grow your own foliage as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you. If you need any further advice contact me at Flowers Now in Balbriggan
BIO
Ruth Gallagher is the Lead Florist at FlowersNow.ie and write and blogs about all things Flowers and Florists in Balbriggan, Dublin and Ireland
FlowersNow is an Retail and Online Florist located at 44 Dublin street, Ballbriggan, Co Dublin. We have an excellent team of highly qualified florists, with years of experience in floral needs, bouquets, giftware, weddings, corporate events & funeral flowers. Trust us for all your special events including Valentines Day, Mothers day, Easter & Christmas.
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