Bring The Outdoors In With Everlasting Flowers

Want indoor arrangements that look great and last for ages? The answer is cut and dried. Louise Curley reveals the blooms and seedheads to choose

Everlasting flowers had developed a dusty, fusty, old fashioned image, but in recent years a new generation of florists and British flower growers have rediscovered these plants and what they have to offer. Brides are choosing dried gypsophila, larkspur and achillea for their wedding bouquets; social media platform Instagram is awash with arrangements made from dried blooms, and the artist Rebecca Louise Law creates installations for international exhibitions using these flowers.

Categorised by their papery, petallike bracts, the joy of everlastings is that, once they’re picked and dried, their beauty continues long beyond their time in the garden. As other flowers fade and die, these keep on looking good, capturing the essence of summer. The seedheads of certain annuals, perennials and grasses have similar qualities, and will make fabulous partners for everlasting blooms.

Both everlastings and seedheads are versatile – not only do they look good in garden borders,they can also be arranged in a vase, used much as you would fresh flowers. The differences are: you don’t need to put them in water and they’ll look good for months rather than for just a few weeks. Because they are fine without water, they’re also handy for making indoor wreaths and table decorations – with florist’s wire, twine or chicken wire to hold them in place. You can even use them to jazz up gifts (they make a more environmental friendly alternative to plastic bows).

A dazzling display