Growing Foliage for Bouquets

Foliage is the all important backdrop to your cut flowers - lovely on their own, they are transformed by a cushion of greenery, specially if it has some lovely airy movement to it.
Here are some annual foliage plants that I rely on :
Panicum ’sparkling fountain’
Molluca laevis (Bells of Ireland)
Parsley flowers and seed heads
Brisa Maxima
Cosmos foliage
Being annuals, these prefer full sun and rich soil, and plenty of water (don’t we all!) They grow quickly and set seed in the same year in which they were sown (parsley is the exception here - it often behaves as a biennial). I start them all off in seed trays in the greenhouse, and transplant after risk of frost (May).
Perennial foliage plants:
Privet
Lonicera (the shrub, not honeysuckle)
Phlox before it flowers
Allium spherocephalon before they truly flower
Euonymus
Spirea
Mint - especially once it is looking like flowering
Lemon Balm - same applies
Lemon verbena - if you can bear to spare it!
Alchemilla Mollis for a froth of lime green.
Eucalyptus
Sweet William/dianthus in bud - Dianthus ‘Green Trick’ stays at this stage throughout it’s life!
I hope this helps!
Flo

[@denisekelley2292]

Great video, very helpful. I just tried parsley for the first time, it held up better than I expected.

[@myswedishcottagegarden]

I agree about that foilage is almost as important for a bouquet!

[@ScolaKoinange]

Wooww beautiful flowers, watching all the way from kenya

[@floragarveygardening1864]

@@ScolaKoinange Oh that’s so kind of you to say! My oldest friend lives in Nairobi but I’ve never been there…

[@ScolaKoinange]

Make arrangements u visit I will definitely host u with my family karibu anytime