Some shrubs I have tried with that sort of variegated leaf either wilt too quickly (ie a variegated dogwood) or arent't tall enough for what we need (need branches between two feet but some as large as 5 feet).

Also, I am looking for something to add to the arrangement that is has a lacy look, and is white. But not Baby's Breath. We have tried Queen Anne's lace, which is just the look we want, but the heads drooped over before a few hours had even passed.

your suggestions for either or both of these problems would be muchly appreciated.

susan

For white all I can think of would be white New England Asters.

You could also look for white Lisianthus, mine is still blooming at this time of year. (Just search Google images for white Lisianthus for photos.)

White chrysanthemums should also be readily available this time of year.

For greenery you might look for Euonymus kiautschovica 'Manhattan':
or Euonymus japonicus 'Silver King' which has green and white variegated foliage:

Ornamental grasses (Miscanthus, etc.) are very nice (and very tall) to use too and at this time of year they should be starting to bloom as well.

Some cut flower growers raise a plant for cutting that is similar to Queen Anne's lace called Ammi. I've grown it but I thought it smelled too bad to use in cut arrangements. ;( Perhaps you could use it if the arrangement is only viewed from a distance.

Another nice lacey plant that you could look for is called Trachelium. It's available in white as well as several other colors including violet, mauve, pink and blue. I grew a dark violet shade this season called Black Knight which is still blooming although the flower heads have gotten smaller and the stems thinner as the season has progressed.