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Berries For Fresh Arrangements?

butterflylion
16 years ago

Do any of you grow berries that you use in fresh arrangements? I'm look for plants other than Holly which I'm already familiar with.

Comments (8)

  • all_bout_flowers
    16 years ago

    When do you want these berries in season? Holly is normally winter arrangements. More info please.
    Kathy

  • flowers4u
    16 years ago

    I was thinking along the same lines...but, I suspect, like any woody, you need lots of space to get enough stems. I'm looking at winterberry, bittersweet, and beautyberry, maybe viburnums for their berries and flowers.
    Wendy

  • butterflylion
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I live in Georgia and ideally would like different ones to cut during different seasons. I mentioned Holly because it is widely grown. I've been reading about some Coralberries.

  • Josh
    16 years ago

    I use berries often in the green state or as they turn, coppery in the case of Nandinas, pinkish-blue in the case of blueberries. Viburnums are good too in the early stages, V. setigerum is my favorite. Dogwood, the white of Sapium (Popcorn Tree), greenish yellow or orange/red Pyracantha, even the green berries of Pokesalad...LOL The white berries of Chinaberry are good, too. I've a wild grape which is good for small bunches of tiny green then black berries.

    Unripe berries on most plants are firm and last longer, plus they are usually unusual colors, and adhere to stems well. Many can be dried by just standing the stem in vase with no water...then used in fresh arrangements. I just do my own arrangements, and these plants may be impractical for a business but thought I'd list them as you're in my area. They are mostly available from midsummer on thru the fall. There are tiny crabapples, and others probably I'm forgetting. I used to make arrangements in exchange for taking cuttings from friends' gardens...even my dentist's office park...lol josh

  • ninecrow
    16 years ago

    What about Rosehips?

  • teresa_b
    15 years ago

    I'm trying snowberry this year. Amethyst is in the ground and I'm waiting on Marleen. From what I have read, Marleen is popular for cutting arrangements in Europe. I am also researching the best roses for roseships.

    I'm also thinking about bittersweet and pyracantha. I'm still undecided.

    Teresa

  • butterflylion
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Does anyone have anything to add?

  • steve22802
    13 years ago

    I like the bright red mature Nandina domestica berries. They dry very well and are ready to harvest in about November here. You can harvest and dry them over the winter and then use them in arrangements the following season.

    Hypericum berries seem to be pretty popular these days but I've heard it's tricky to grow and only likes a particular climate. (I haven't tried growing it yet but I'd like to give it a try.)

    I've experimented a bit with crape myrtle berries. I like the look of them but they tend to have an orientation problem, most of them droop downward. Perhaps a bush could be trained to have only upright branches?

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