TOP 5 NATIVE FLOWERS
Posted on 07 June 2020
TOP 5 NATIVE FLOWERS
Natives are beautiful plants, and are extremely hardy and long-lasting. Whilst Australia has a plethora of exquisite native plants on offer, what not a lot of people know is that plants that are often all referred to as ‘natives’ within Australia are not even from the country!
Below are just a few of the most commonly used and sought-after native plants for floral arrangements.
Wax Flower:
The wax flower comes in a number of naturally occurring varieties. As most natives do, they last quite a decent while in vases, and wax flowers are also a popular choice for their multicoloured addition to a floral arrangement. However, despite being able to provide that pop of colour, wax flowers are considered a filler, and are typically not used as the main focus in an arrangement of flowers. The colours that they come in include: white, pink, and purple, sometimes even with a mix of different coloured centres and outer rims of the petals.
Protea and King Protea:
Proteas are beautiful native flowers, and are traditionally used to signify change and/hope, and are sometimes referred to as ‘sugarbushes’. Proteas have large flowering buds which remain fairly closed. However, there is a sub-type of protea called King Protea, which have much more open buds which look almost like red suns. Their leaves are pointed, and King Proteas are commonly very sought after in native themed weddings, however these are only available from September to March, with peak season around October to December. These too are actually native to South Africa.
Bottle brush:
The most common bottle brush plants have amazingly vibrant red flowers, which grow on the ends of a stem and are shaped in a tightly packed cylindrical organisation, not unlike the brush you would use to clean out a drink bottle – hence the name bottle brush. There are also less-common types which are light yellow in colour. These plants are endemic or native to Australia.
Wattle:
These plants flower in either small ‘orb’ shapes, or in a cylindrical formation. The small orb-shaped versions of the wattle are more common in Australia, and these often look like small pompoms growing on trees. The most common colour for the wattle is a bright yellow, although they can also be found in a dark pink/reddish hue. Wattles are native to many different places, including Australia.
Banksia:
Banksia flowers are very large, and are most commonly a light orange or peach colour, bright yellow, or a mix of orange at the base and red at the top. These flowers are different shapes based on their colours – plain yellow and plain orange flowers are shaped like what I would describe as similar to the bottle brush but where the tip is more rounded or dome-shaped (the yellow ones especially look very much like corn on the cob). Banksia that are duel coloured (red and orange) can be best described as if you imagine a very large acorn that has been stretched length ways. This plant is native to Australia.
So, if you are thinking of going with a native themed wedding or event of any sort, you absolutely can’t go wrong if you consider these beautiful native options. Mixed with any sort of gum/eucalyptus foliage, you’ll have yourself an eye-catching assortment of native arrangements in no time!
- Hailey Paige Flowers xx
