Verry Berry

When we hear the word ‘berry’ many things come to mind. Strawberry, blue berry, raspberry, Logan berry, and cranberry might be just a few of the word associations. Some people might associate the words with edible fruits, while other people might associate the words as descriptive adjectives that describe a color. For those of us in the floral industry we might think of the word berry and associate it with floral products to be used in a floral composition.
Floral components such as berries are often used as an accent in floral designs. While Accent is really a form of emphasis in design, it can be used very effectively as a way to add interest to a composition. Without accents or visual spices for the eye, a floral composition would be rather dull and unattractive just like food prepared without spices. Accents can be a change of form or color or both. Think of using accents just as you would if you were preparing a culinary dish to eat. If you add to many different spices to a food recipe, they battle for attention and the food becomes too complex to enjoy. The same is true in floral design. If there are too many accents vying for attention, the composition becomes too confusing for the eye to absorb and we tend to move on because of being too unsettled.
So accents can be found in many opportunities. Foliage’s can often provide an accent as can some flowers. During this particular time of the year there are many ornamental grasses that provide wonderful accents to designs. Having these grasses such as Millett, Kunzea, Silk grass and Love grass add color and lightness to a late summer / early fall presentation. Another way to add interest is to use berries as a component in your composition. Cranberry Viburnum, Blueberry Viburnum have both beautiful foliage and interesting berries on their stem. The berries are clustered in bunches at the end of the branch, so they show easily when mixed into a floral styling. Hypericum comes in a wide range of colors and it too has berries clustered at the end of the stem. It is a good idea to remove the larger leaves to expose all the berries and to keep from the foliage becoming too stressed. Seeded Eucalyptus and Eucalyptus Pods also have a berry influence and integrate well in design. One of the most popular berry choices is Bittersweet for an autumn influence. Those bright orange berries are often hidden in the casing that needs to be removed to make the berries show. These bright orange-red colors really make a strong impact, so use them judiciously so they do not override the other components.
Accents are fun to work with and it is amazing how just a few ‘spices’ for the eye can and do make all the difference in a floral design. Have fun spicing up your next arrangement