Five Favorite Cottage Garden Bouquet Fillers
When creating bouquets, fillers and foliage are just as important as the blooms! In my garden, I always make sure I’m growing a nice range of fillers. Some to add shine and texture, and others to add fullness and flow.
Here’s some of my favorites…
Variegated Pittosporum
Not only is it an evergreen plant (making it a reliable source all year round), it produces clusters of white scented flowers in the Spring. It has a long vase life and always plays a great supporting role to any flowers it’s paired with.
Podocarpus
An incredible texture builder. Also an evergreen plant, its long, shiny, flat needles create contrast when mixed with floral. It’s super flexible in the landscape and can be used as a shrub, trained as an espalier, or grown as a tree. We also love the variegated varietal, too!
Camelia
Not only a beautiful flower, the foliage of the Camelia plant adds easy volume to an arrangement. Its shiny, glossy foliage works well to offset floral components and can hold shape without a water source.
Fatsia Japonica
The large palmate leaves remind me of hands. The deeply lobed foliage will help hold an arrangement together, adding horizontal layers. It also brings three seasons of interest to your cottage garden: big foliage followed by interesting clusters of white blooms that, once pollinated, become shiny black berries (and a highly prized food source for winter birds).
Ferns
There are so many varieties of ferns that it’s hard to pick a favorite! I recommend planting a collection of ferns to give you a wider selection when choosing fillers. There are climbing ferns that can be used to cascade from the arrangement, to keep the eye engaged. Ferns that are upright that can add structure and formality. And ferns that are crested, to add density to your design. There is a fern out there for everyone!