Foliage: The Unsung Hero of Flower Arranging

When we think of buying flowers, it’s the blooms that come to mind. Bright and bold, tall and elegant, big and blousy, or small and delicate. We think of their colour, their perfume, and whether or not we want it. But what we frequently overlook is the leaves. While you may choose a rose arrangement that is nothing but flowers, for the most part, foliage brings a lot to the flower arranging party.

Why Foliage is Fabulous in Flower Arrangements

Structure

Structure is really important in flower arrangements. It’s what makes every flower stand out, while providing an overall form that is pleasing to the eye. And in most arrangements, it’s the foliage that provides the structural base. One of our favourite foliage plants is pistache. Partly because it is long lasting. But also because it has plenty of volume, so you only need a little to create a big impact.  You can see it at its best in our Dramatic Dozen hand-tied rose arrangement.

Colour

Leaves are green. And green is green is green, right? Wrong! Leaves come in a riot of greens, purples, whites, reds, yellows, and oranges. And they can be an amazing source of colour for florists, especially in winter. We use eucalyptus in many of our arrangements, such as Purple Burst. It’s another plant that’s long lasting and voluminous, but its silvery tones also look wonderful, and can add incredible scent to an arrangement.

Texture

One of the very best things about foliage is that it offers such a wealth of textures. You can have solid leaves, waxy leaves, the feathery fronds of ferns. You can even have soft, woolly leaves, like Stachys, and fragrant, spinate leaves like rosemary and pine. And all these different textures add interest and value to your floral arrangements.

Height

Sometimes, flowers are tall enough. But when you have an arrangement like our stunning Summer Vase, foliage can be used to extend the height. Fine and feathery, the leaves don’t look like much on their own. But when used as a foil to the gorgeous pink larkspur, they lift the whole arrangement.

Support

Many of the foliage plants chosen by florists are fairly woody. This gives them strength. Not just to keep them standing tall and looking good themselves, but to provide support to the more delicate flower stems they’re being arrange with. And this can be vital if you don’t want your flower heads to droop and your arrangement to look wilty before its time.

Foliage is too often seen as secondary to flowers. But we absolutely love it. Foliage adds beauty, interest, texture, and verdure to any flower arrangement. So, take a little look at the leaves when you next have fresh cut flowers at home!

Get in touch with Blue Florist to order your next hand-tied flower arrangement.