Dried Flowers

Fullers Teasel a sub-species of the common teasel. The bristly flower heads were cultivated, matured and dried. Inserted into wooden frames, they were used to bulk up the pile on woolen cloth. The variant name 'fullonum' refers to the name of the trade of the 'fullers' to raise the nap on woolen cloth - to 'tease' it. Teasel is still used today by some who weave wool by hand.

Didiscus caerulea, known as the Blue Lace Flower for its unusual sky-blue flower colour. With delicate lacy umbel shaped flowers, each flower head is composed of tiny, star-shaped, sweetly fragrant flowers. Perfect for the cutting garden and suitable for country cottage style or contemporary arrangements.

'Pixie Fountain' is a dwarf variety of Deschampsia cespitosa, just as pretty as its larger cousin. The flower stems growing to a height of 60cm. Perfect for many situations, adding dimension, texture, and a breezy quality to the garden.

Deschampsia cespitosa is a lovely variety of ornamental grass especially valued for it’s tall flower plumes. The sprays of airy delicate flowers, eventually changing to bronze add texture and colour to the winter garden and deliver a knock-out punch to cut-flower arrangements.

Cortaderia selloana 'White Feather' - Pampas Grasses are the ultimate architectural plant, adding texture, autumn colour and winter shapes in the landscape. Relatively easy to grow, this plant flowers throughout late summer and autumn. It will provide colour and interest for many years.

This unusual pink form of pampas grass with tall, pink-flushed, feathery plumes is a real show stopper. In midsummer spectacular plumes erupt above the foliage. The show continues into winter as the feathery plumes persist and the foliage turns golden brown when touched by frost.

Native to the meadows and woods of the mountains of Europe, Centaurea montana flowers from late spring with large flowers that are fringed in an intense violet-blue with deep purple centres and most attractive, very deeply cut petals. Easy to grow, it is an excellent garden plant as well as cut flower.

The Ball series, also known as the Boy series, feature double flowered blooms on tall stems for garden or cutting. This pink flowered cultivar boasts wonderful full flowers on densely branched upright plants and produces many flowers from early summer until frost. Well suited for cutting, drying, and pressing.

'Classic Romantic' is a delightful mixture of charming pink and pretty rosy-red shades. The flowers are often in two shades of pink, or have a dark center and lighter petals. Many flowers are rosy-red and have white tips. By sowing this variety you will add some romance to the border, and to summer bouquets.

The 'Classic' series of Cornflowers offers flower lovers three fabulous shade-mixtures. A harmonious mixture of exceptional shades, 'Classic Magic' produces blooms from light mauve with a dark centre to flowers that are close to black with white tip on each petal. For magical borders and bouquets.

Cornflowers are the most splendid of annuals. Centaurea cyanus 'Classic Fantastic' blooms in a mixture of captivating blue shades, ranging from light heavenly blue to dark blue. The flowers are often in two shades of blue or have a dark center and lighter petals. They are breathtaking when they're grown in dense drifts.

Catananche caerulea 'Amor White' produces stunning blooms of white, star like flowers each with a dark purple-blue eye and unique papery petals. The blooms rise on single stems above neat clumps of grey-green foliage. Super when planted the border, they also make a wonderful, long lasting cut or dried flowers.

Catananche caerulea 'Amor Blue' is a charming plant, with blue, star like flowers each with a dark eye and unique papery petals. They look best when grown in groupings, rather than one or two plants and don’t mind crowding. Plant en-masse in prairie style or meadow plantings, mix them up a little with other hardy perennials and grasses.

Carthamus tinctorius ‘Shiro’ features unusual creamy-white blooms. It makes an excellent, high quality cut flower and can also be used green when harvested young. Growing 80 to 100cm tall, flowering takes 12 to 14 weeks. It can also used for dried arrangements and is considered to be an everlasting.

Bred specifically for professional cut flower production. Carthamus tinctorius ‘Kinko’ is a special selection featuring deep orange blooms. Easy to grow from seed, flowering can be staggered by sowing successionally. It will give a host of vibrant hues throughout summer, whether in the garden or in the vase.

Cheerful and bright, use Calendula in beds, borders or containers. Calendula is prolific and durable, and like most hardy annuals it is easy to grow, simply sow where it is to flower. It is currently one of the top herbs used for medicinal use. Sprinkle salads and decorate cakes with the edible tangy petals.

Calamintha nepeta is a very attractive bushy, perennial that should be in every garden. Clouds of tiny, lilac-mauve flowers appear in early summer and flower continuously from early June right through to late September. The leaves exude a lovely minty scent when crushed and the flowers are true bee pasture.

This wonderfully intriguing annual makes a great companion plant for showier flowers in the garden or the vase, the blooms of chartreuse green bring out the colours of other flowers, especially bright ones. Easily grown from seed, it is a particularly unique dried or cut flower.

Prized for its beautiful silvery foliage, the fine grey-white stems of Artemisia ludoviciana bear silvery-white leaves that are fragrant, fuzzy and soft. This finely textured plant adds a different element to the garden, the texture and leaf form setting them apart from those other garden plants with rather less refined foliage.

With a range of interesting colours, heights and textures, annual ornamental grasses are very easy to grow. Many have graceful, pendant, nodding flowers which are extremely useful in the garden and are a dream for flower arrangers.

Ammi visnaga 'Green Mist' is a new variety of Queen Annes Lace, with larger, darker green and more mounded umbels than its cousin Ammi majus. It flowers from June to September the blooms are initially flattened and lime green, turning white. The textured flower heads are a flower arrangers dream.