A number of award winning shrubs are suitable for floral designs. Here are details on some of those.


Blue Muffin arrow wood

This was among the Plants of Merit selections at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the botanical garden conducts
plant trials for the lower Midwest region.

This cultivar has striking white blossoms that open in flat clusters. Blue Muffin arrow wood is recommended for zones three through eight.

This is suitable as a cut flower. The fruited stems are also used in floral design. The attractive, blue fruits are rather small. However, they ripen in large bunches.

Blue Muffin stems can reach five feet in height. Arrow wood was originally native to the eastern U.S. These plants aren’t fussy about soil. They grow well in both full sun and partial shade.

The stems have a vase life of about a week or so. They’re used as a mass flower.


Red Beauty Holly

The fruited hollies are a favorite for fall and winter floral designs. This beautiful, very fruitful holly is especially suitable for flower arrangements. It was named a Gold Medal winner by the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society. The ends of the stems are covered with bunches of berries. In order to get fruits, you’ll need a male pollinator.

This plant is large and can reach 15 feet in height. It will grow in both full sun as well as partial shade. This cultivar is suited to zones six through nine.

Berried stems of holly are a favorite for fall and winter floral designs. As a cut flower, they have a vase life of one to two weeks. These are used as a mass flower.


Red-leaf rose

This species was named a Plant Select variety. This program is a collaboration between the Denver Botanic Garden and Colorado State University. Each year they select some of the best plants for the High Plains and the Intermountain region.

Red-leaf rose has wonderful rose hips that are just perfect for floral designs. These are large plants, so give them plenty of room. They’re eight feet in height with a spread of six feet. The pastel blooms are displayed against the reddish-purple foliage.

This rose is considered to be very resistant to drought. Red-leaf rose is recommended for zones three through nine.

As a cut flower, the berried stems of red-leaf rose have a vase life of 1½ weeks or so. Often seen in autumn floral arrangements, all rose hips are used as a mass flower.


Compact Summersweet

This variety was named a Gold Medal Plant winner by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. It is especially floriferous. The plants reach about four feet in height with a matching spread. Pink in bud, this has deliciously fragrant white blooms that open at the ends of the stems. These form long spiky clusters. For best flowering, this plant does need some shade. However, it will tolerate some sun. This variety is suited to zones four through nine.

Summersweet stems have a vase life of about a week or so. They’re used as a medium mass flower.