Spring
Ageratum
Ageratums are also known as the floss flower. These plants produce mauve flowers that are fluffy and last for an extended period of time. They grow invasively in our region and can be used in bouquets as a filler flower. Blue billygoat weed Ageratum houstonianum is regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland and New South Wales, but it grows in our paddocks so, we use it occasionally. The rest of the time we are pulling it out so it doesn't take over our garden!
Alyssum
Alyssum or sweet alyssum is a white flowering hardy plant that is a member of the mustard family, these plants smell sweet and look great in a dainty posy or larger bouquet. Its a member of the Brassicaceae family.
Allium
Allium is a family of plants that includes onions, chives, and garlic. Ornamental varieties produce rounded flowers in several colours, including rosy purple.
The flowers are long-lived even after being cut, so they make great additions to cut flower arrangements so they may make it into our bouquets or posies, if flowering at the perfect time. They are typically planted in fall and bloom in spring and summer depending on the variety of onion, or garlic growing underneath.
Snow grass
We enjoy plenty of snow grass Poa sieberiana on our exposed north facing hillside farm. This decorative native loves the cooler upland and tableland regions of the Mary Valley. It seeds at around 70cm with its purple seed heads creating a beautiful colour range and catches the morning and afternoon light in its flower heads and is a hiighlight in amongst the other grasses in our paddocks. It tolerates frost, wind and lean conditions, forming sculptural domes that hold their shape year-round. In the wild of our paddocks it thrives on the exposed ridgeline and open slope. We leave it grow along our driveway as it makes us smile. It will not appear in bouquets but it will greet you when you arrive at our farm.
Anise Hyssop
Anise Hyssop also goes by the name agastache foeniculum and is an herb. The plant produces spikes of mauve flowers that attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. It looks fantastic in bouquets and in gardens as it creates wonderful tall spikes in the arrangement or garden form.
Cornflower
Cornflowers are a quintessential cottage flower with a short flowering season in Spring. Its also known as Bachelor’s Button or Centaurea cyanus (cyan-blue). It is a hardy annual that is a member of the Asteraceae family, like the carnation. It is native to Europe and often grew as a weed in cornfields (in the broad sense of "corn", referring to grains, such as wheat, barley, rye, or oats), hence its name.
Centaurea cyanus is now endangered in its native habitat by agricultural intensification, particularly by over-use of herbicides like glyphosate. However, it is now also naturalised in many other parts of the world, including North America and parts of Australia.
The plant comes in colours from white to red, and by practicing dead heading the flowers, you can prolong the flowering period of this plant.
Black Eyed Susan
The Black-eyed Susan is a type of coneflower that is similar to daisies but have bright yellow-orange flowers with a black centre. Rudbeckia hirta, is a North American flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.
It can grow to 1 metre (3+1⁄2 ft) tall with daisy-like yellow flower heads. There are numerous cultivars. It was used medicinally by Native Americans The roots, though not the seed heads, can be used much like the related Echinacea purpurea to boost immunity and fight colds, flu and infections. The Ojibwa people used it as a poultice for snake bites and to make an infusion for treating colds and worms in children.
These plants range in height, with some flowers able to reach eight feet tall, while they spread to a mere three feet. Their flowers bloom from Summer to early Autumn. Rudbeckia hirta is widely cultivated in parks and gardens, for summer bedding schemes, borders, containers, wildflower gardens, prairie-style plantings and cut flowers. Numerous cultivars have been developed, of which 'Indian Summer' and 'Toto' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Other popular cultivars include 'Double Gold' and 'Marmalade'.
Short and Sweet Headlines are Best!
Short and Sweet Headlines are Best!
Summer
Amaranthus
Also known as Love Lies Bleeding, this plant has exotic looking foliage and tassels that are in blood red and sea moss greens. You can find plants with a range of leaf colours, from bronze to deep red to lime green and white.
Many parts of the plant, including the leaves and seeds, are edible, and are frequently used as a source of food source, across the world and in South America where it is native. Amaranth is used in muesli commonly.
The language of this flower in the Victorian era, for the drooping variety called Love-lies-bleeding stood for untenable romantic relationships or an absence of desirable prospects in the Victorian language of flowers. The plant's flower resembles droplets of blood and so was given a Puritan virtue name of love-lies-bleeding since the 16th century.
We love adding these dramatic flowers to our arrangements in the Summer, as they provide a lovely form that drapes below the top of the vase. They are often used in bridal arrangements and , on garlands of swags draped over a bridal arch. They are dramatic and lush, organic in form and striking. They can be kept and dried.