What flowers to dry - Part 6: Height, fluff and fillers

What Flowers to Dry - Part 6: Height, Fluff and Fillers

Sometimes, you'll want to bring height into your displays and there are a number of ways to do this. With tall plants, the best thing to do is to cut them right down to the base.

Then, if you want to add height to your displays you can, but if you wish to break the stems down further this is always an option too.

Fluff and fillers are really useful if you're creating bigger installations and need to add foliage in order to fill them out. They tend to be smaller headed, with clusters of multiple flowers or with fluffy seed heads. I've listed a few common varieties below.

Ammi (Ammi majus):

• flowers in the summer
• very different when fresh compared to dried
• cut at the base near the soil, and hang to dry in a sunny space if you want to create a bleached effect

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium):

• the stems can get really tall once the plant is established
• cut at the bottom and dry the whole stem

Mallow Wort (Malope trifida):

• wait for the plant to start setting seed before cutting it
• you'll end up with a mix of green and brown foliage
• these stems look great in autumn or winter displays

Wild Carrot (Daucus carota):

• you can forage this from wild spaces as long as you do so responsibly
• you can dry the flower or cut it when it has gone to seed
• grows very tall

Cupid's Dart (Catananche caerulea):

• type of perennial cornflower
• the bud of the flower looks similar to the seed head, but make sure you don't cut them then; instead, wait until the petals of the flower have fallen and the seed head has formed before cutting
• they are very tall, with silvery seed pods

Fluff and Fillers:

• Old man's beard (Clematis vitalba) is a great example of a filler plant, as its fluffy seed heads are great for bulking out displays
• Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is another great filler, and if you let your plant flower, it'll produce soft fern-like branches, which makes it particularly good for wreaths and clouds
• Baby's breath (Gypsophila paniculata) can add a delicate softness to your arrangements thanks to its clump-forming flower heads

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For easy reference, the following table summarises the above.

| Everlastings | Tricky Flowers | Perennials | Seed Heads | Grasses | Height, Fluff & Fillers |

|--------------|----------------|------------|------------|---------|------------------------|

| Everlasting flowers (Helichrysum bracteatum) | Dahlias (Dahlia pinnata) | Great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis) | Love-in-a-mist (Nigella) | Canary grass (Phalaris canariensis) | Ammi (Ammi majus) |

| Winged everlastings (Ammobium alatum) | Hellebore (Helleborus lividus) | Astrantia (Astrantia major) | Honesty (Lunaria annua) | Quaking grass (Briza media and Briza maxima) | Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) |

| Statice flowers (Limonium sinuatum) | Peonies (Paeonia) | Oregano 'Kent Beauty' (Origanum 'Kent Beauty') | Poppies (Papaver) | | Mallow wort (Malope trifida) |

| Red amaranth (Amaranthus paniculatus) | | Daisy family (Asteraceae) | Cress/Mustard family (Brassicaceae) | | Wild carrot (Daucus carota) |

| Lona flowers (Lonas inodora) | | Oregano (Origanum vulgare) | Flax (Linum usitatissimum) | | Cupid's dart (Catananche caerulea) |

| | | Catmint (Nepeta cataria) | | | Old man's beard (Clematis vitalba) |

| | | | | | Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) |

| | | | | | Baby's breath (Gypsophila paniculata) |