Favorite 'Grass' Seedhead for Bouquets?

15 years ago

Hello All,

With the long holiday, I am having plenty of time to think about my seeds and plants for 2009. I am hoping to find a green-greenish seedhead from a grass, sedge, millet, etc. for my bouquets to add some vertical green interest. I found the lime spray millet; however, it looks droopy to me and was not the form in which I was really interested.

I also like the look of quaking grass although it is not exactly what I was looking for, but it looks like it could be very pretty in late summer arrangements. I am assuming it works in cut flower bouquets.

So, what are your favorite grass seedheads or other types of seedheads that have worked for you?

As always, thank you all for taking time to share your thoughts and ideas.

Teresa

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

Pudge 2b
15 years ago
If you like quaking grass, then I'll bet you'll love Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats). Beautiful dangly seed heads on this perennial grass - I wish it was hardy for me :(

I have a stand of Phleum pratense (Timothy grass) that I'll often use in bouquets. It's a lowly pasture grass (perennial) but I like it for the narrow, stiff 3-4" soft green seed heads. Also excellent for dried use. It has the potential to become a nightmare in the garden if all the seedheads are not nipped off before the seed ripens.

There's a new Panicum, P. elegans 'Frosted Explosion' that I'm looking forward to growing this year. This has minimum 84 days to bloom, so I'll be starting it in April/greenhouse plugs so that hopefully it will be useful for me beginning in July and into August.

Here is a link that might be useful: frosted explosion
0
diggerdee zone 6 CT
15 years ago
Well, let me start by saying I really have no experience with grasses. However, last year I tried Eleusine Green Cat, and it was... different. I still can't decide if I personally like it, but it did catch the eye, that's for sure. Lots of people stopping to ask what it was. The main drawback, IMO, was that it wasn't that tall - maybe 20 inches. But, I just thought I'd throw it out there as a thought, especially since you are looking for green.

Good luck!
:)
Dee

Here is a link that might be useful: Eleusine Green Cat
0
Related Discussions
Do you cut Bouquets?
Q
Comments (32)
I should have added: I take garden bouquets to friends who are hospitalized or home-bound. We get the the tiny bouquets made, of all kinds flowers blooming at the time, to test what will keep the longest for them. A couple of weeks ago, at a bride's request for a bouquet from my gardens, I made a bride's table bouquet. Lucky thing it was right at the time my Muscadet lilium were blooming--white oriental lilies with small red/fuchsia dots in the throat. I couldn't find the right container, but did find a long narrow ugly brown one for the long narrow table. About 15 coats of white paint and it was ready to go. The neck flared a bit, so I added a necklace of braided pearls with wire ones sprayng out in every direction. Filled it with the huge lilies (about 10) and one starting to open bud for a bit of contrasting form. I topped it all off with pics I made of wired sprays of pearls for a bit of height. It received lots of very positive comments: "You should make a business of it" "They're prettier than the professionals." I had been so nervous about it--not the kind of reaction I like from gardening. I had so feared everyone would think it not up to par that this pleased me greatly. It was the only arrangement the bride wanted to take home. Not to brag, but...chuckle gramma jan
...See More
What are some good OG for bouquets?
Q
Comments (3)
Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats) has fabulous flowers for floral arrangements. Can be cut and used green or tan. For curiosity value the seed heads on Carex grayii would be quite good in a bouquet. Neat looking, like a tiny mace. Eragrostis spp. ~ any of the weeping love grasses have lovely airy panicles that are long lasting.
...See More
Rose gardens & bouquets of organic roses
Q
Comments (35)
Thank you, Jim and Cottagegarden for reviving this thread. I really appreciate the company of kind, and positive visitors to this forum. Like Cottagegarden, I bought 2 soil-test kits from local stores: Lowe and HomeDepot. They are totally useless and gave false result. Then I paid $20 for EarthCo. (professional soil-testing company) and my soil test came back high pH at 7.7, and deficient in everything, plus barely adequate in calcium ... I was so sure that my soil has plenty of calcium !! I'm next to a limestone quarry. For years I disagree with my neighbor on calcium. He insisted that his tomato in pots are lacking in calcium (blossom end-rot) ... He's right, after seeing how mixing gypsum (calcium sulfate) into the soil made 1st-year band-size La Reine went beserk with buds: due to winter-kill, it's only 8 inch. tall, but with 10 buds !! But the plant is stunt & brown leaves, and the blooms are small. I forgot to give it sulfate of potash (it should be twice more potassium than calcium). Yes to mixing gypsum into planting hole, but no more than 10% (I spent hours researching on the right % to mix in). I broke that rule many times, and end up with stunt plants & leaves showing potassium deficiency. Too much calcium drives down potassium. If you have a large garden, soil can vary: some part can be alkaline if watered frequently with high pH tap water. Most tap water are alkaline, I already tested a few with fish-tank litmus paper, even mineral bottled water has pH over 8. Some part of a garden can be acidic (if get rain water only, pH at 5.6). My soil test recommend mixing sulfur into clay. BAD ADVICE !! That was expensive and killed tons of earthworms. I like gypsum better, less caustic & cheaper ($4 for 25 lb. at Menards). Gypsum is great in breaking up compacted clay, provides calcium, plus de-salt soil. I moved 4 roses this spring: The ones that didn't get gypsum in the planting hole were slower to recuperate. The one that got gypsum in the planting hole, was VERY FAST in pumping out buds. See Duchess de Rohan below, 2 weeks after moving, with lots of buds. I moved that one since it was in too much shade, zero blooms. After moving to more sun, it exploded in buds. A note on moving roses. Roses which are grafted on Dr. Huey is less forgiving in moving. Dr. Huey is a long stick, and it's easy to break the tiny roots at the end. I moved knock-outs grafted on Dr. Huey twice before. Both time they lost all their leaves, and took at least 3 months to get back to normal. With own-root, it's so much easier to move: The roots are cluster: wide & shallow, rather than a long & deep stick like Dr. Huey. I moved at least 10 own-roots for the past 4 years: They recuperate quickly, lose zero leaves, IF THE ORIGINAL SOIL IS LOOSE & FLUFFY, then moving is zero stress. If the original soil is compact, digging them up caused many roots to be broken.
...See More
Green bouquets for Olympic medalists???
Q
Comments (22)
Even though they may not be our choice, I am sure that most people receiving the medals do not keep anything other than medals. I have always thought that it it ashamed that the flowers they receive probably end up in the trash. Maybe a new tradition could be made to hand them something that could be turned into a memory and I am sure the Olympic committee would appreciate any ideas. Maybe patches/pins/wrist bands would be a better choice.
...See More
teresa_b
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you, Pudge and Diggerdee, for your recommendations. I like the quaking grass so will probably give that a shot. The Eleusine Green Cat is one weird grass! That is on the maybe list; however, I like that green color, which is not easy to come by.

Teresa
0
prairiegirlz5
15 years ago
Teresa~Many grasses have greenish seedheads depending on time of harvest. If you want one that looks like wheat, try Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'. Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln' has soft, bottle-brush spikes with a reddish tint. Foxtail grass is a perennial "weed" that I like to use.

All grasses have sharp edges, so be careful! Wear gloves when harvesting them for your arrangements. :)
0
prairiegirlz5
15 years ago
I mis-spoke, I don't use foxtail grass, which is an annual weed anyway. The grass I use is the fountain grass 'Hameln', which looks similar.

Have you tried Celosia 'Sylphid'? That looks very interesting to me.
0
diggerdee zone 6 CT
15 years ago
Gee, Teresa, I got really excited yesterday while browsing through my new Seeds of Change catalog, because I saw a grass and thought of you. It is Foxtail White Wonder Millet, and it looked almost completely green in the catalog. However, upon doing a bit more research before posting here, it seems that for some reason it's just that the photo in the catalog is just not true to color. The heads are actually much redder. The difference between the catalog photo and internet photos is night and day. Oh well. (Gee, makes me wonder how true-to-form all the other photos in the catalog are... or aren't!) But you never know. Maybe you'll like it anyway? It says it does well in bouquets...

:)
Dee

Here is a link that might be useful: White Wonder Millet
0
goodscents
15 years ago
I have grown the Limelight millet and if you cut it early it is upright rather than droopy. The color is great but I found it very hard to work with if I cut it after it started to droop over.

I really like 'Tapestry' millet. I think I got it from Germania. It is upright and has an interesting shape, but the color is a mix of dark greens and browns.
Kirk
0
teresa_b
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you everyone for keeping me in mind and responding. I have enjoyed following up on all the suggestions. I really like the celosia, "Sylphid." That is on my must try list for 2009. That is one cool greenish plant. I have never worked with millet so may give that a try. Nice to have two choices.

Teresa
0
thinman
15 years ago
I tried the celosia Sylphid last summer but did a poor job of starting it. The plants were pretty rootbound by the time I got them in the field, and were stunted most of the summer. They were also a lot yellower than I expected, but that may have been my fault. I'll definitely be growing them again this year, though they will be started four weeks later than in 2008.

I agree with Kirk about cutting the Limelight millet early while it's still pretty vertical, and I second his liking for the Tapestry millet.

ThinMan
0
crowspice
15 years ago
Teresa,

I have grown most of the grasses that others have recommended here, but my hands-down favorite is the Northern Sea Oats!
It will be an easy-care perennial for you. It is a winner in all of its stages, from early summer right through to frost - a very long run! It holds up very well in the vase, and it adds a beautiful textural "movement" in bouquets. You will LOVE it!
0

Favorite 'Grass' Seedhead for Bouquets?

Comments (10)

Pudge 2b

diggerdee zone 6 CT

Related Discussions

teresa_b
Original Author

prairiegirlz5

prairiegirlz5

diggerdee zone 6 CT

goodscents

teresa_b
Original Author

thinman

crowspice

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Favorite 'Grass' Seedhead for Bouquets?

Comments (10)

Related Discussions

teresa_bOriginal Author

teresa_bOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

teresa_b
Original Author

teresa_b
Original Author