Foliage for Arrangements

Written By Helen Reed

When choosing foliage for arrangements you need to consider the following:

  • Longevity when cut – may depend on time during season

  • Colour of leaves – complimentary (across from each other on the colour wheel)

  • Harmonious (Colour family) – yellows to green, pinks to red (Analagous; colours beside each other on the colour wheel), Monocromatic (shades, tints and hues of the same colour), Complementary, (Blue &Orange, Purple & yellow, Red and Green)

  • Veining

  • Texture

  • Size of leaf relative to container

  • Length of stem

 

Possible choices:

Shrubs

  • Camellia

  • Boxwood

  • Skimmia

  • Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo)

  • Spirea (Bridal Veil)

  • Pittosporum – variegated

  • Viburnum

  • Weigela

  • Daphne Eternal Fragrance

  • Fatsia

  • Osamanthus

  • Sarcocca

  • Forsythia

Herbs

  • Dill

  • Bronze fennel

  • Rosemary

  • Apple or Korean Mint (Purple & doesn’t spread)
    Plant mint in containers.

  • Sage

  • Oregano

Vegetables

  • Asparagus leaves

  • Ornamental Kale

  • Artichoke leaves and flowers

  • Vines

  • Jasmine

  • Honeysuckle

  • Clematis

  • Raspberry and Blackberry

Grasses

  • Explosion Grass

  • Fountain Grasses – have plumes – many varieties

  • Zebra Grass

  • Hakone – Japanese Forest Grass

 

Trees

  • Magnolia

  • Eucalyptus (Silver Dollar, Baby Blue, Seeded, Gunni – smaller leaves)

  • Myrtle

  • Nine Bark ((physocarpus)

  • Arbutus Unedo

  • Cotylinius

Perennials/Annuals - Leaves

  • Hostas

  • Arum italicum

  • Hibiscus (Mahogany Splendor)

  • Hellebores

  • Astilbe

  • Peonies (Green in summer, red in fall)

  • Irises – strong sword type leaves

  • Phormium – New Zealand Flax – sword type leaves, many colours

  • Calla lily leaves

  • Beesia – False ginger

  • Heuchera- many colours but not the lime green

  • Dusty Miller, Senecio Types: Angel Wing, Brachyioglottis

  • Icicles (silver) Helichrysum thianschanicum (Licorice Plant)

  • Artemesia ludoviciana (Silver King) rapid spreader

  • Artemesia schmidtiana (Silver Mound)

Succulents – many to choose from

Native Plants

  • Ferns

  • Salal

  • Oregon Grape

  • Pussy Willow

Indoor Plants

  • Monstera

  • Palms

  • Ivy

  • Anthirium

 
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Helen Reed
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