Greenery That Goes With Flowers As a Filler

Fern

• Ferns are frequently used as greenery fillers with flowers in an arrangement, but the fern plant can also make a complementary filler in your garden. Ferns have long fronds with leaves that are delicate appearing. Maidenhair and leatherleaf ferns are often used both in floral displays and in gardens. Asparagus, tiki and ming ferns give a feathery appearance that is light and airy as a filler green.

Ivy

• The long vine stems of ivy, with broad, evenly spaced leaves, give a visual interest when paired with flowers. The foliage of ivy can be solid green or variegated to add contrast and brighten neighboring colorful blooms. In floral arrangements, English ivy is frequently used to draw the eye from flower to flower. In the garden, ivy such as Boston, English or Algerian can be grown as ground cover surrounding your flowering plants or as a backdrop on walls, fences or trees to accent the plants in front of the ivy.

Leaves

• Large, bold leaves, such as banana, xanado, monstera, cordyline or draceana, used in flower arrangements are a dramatic statement, yet will not overwhelm the flowers. This is because the leaves are a solid mass that will accent the flowers in a dynamic display. Croton and cordyline leaves are colored with yellow, red and shades of orange to blend and complement the flowers in an arrangement. Garden leaf plants like colorful hosta or coleus planted as fillers in between your taller flowering plants will add interest at ground level to visually blend your flower garden together.

Grass

• Ornamental grass added to flower arrangements or grown among your flowering plants creates a touch of artistic grace and perfectly complements the flowers. Bear grass or lily grass have long, slender, arched leaves that flow through a floral arrangement to carry the eye from flower to flower without overpowering the blooms. Using ornamental grasses in your garden, particularly dwarf or smaller varieties growing in among the flowering plants, can have a similar effect. Dwarf maiden, mondo or fountain ornamental grasses grown with short flowering annuals and taller flowering perennials will visually create a sense of fullness and completeness. Larger ornamental grasses, such as pampas, maiden and fountain, growing behind flowering plants as a backdrop will accent your flower garden.