Branches and architectural greens,
a field guide

Branches are the most underrated product we sell. A metre of magnolia in a floor vase does more for a room than a $150 bouquet, costs half as much, and outlives it three to one.

The lineup

Magnolia branches (up to 120cm): buds open slowly indoors over two weeks, then the whole thing dries in place and keeps its shape for months. The best value stem we stock.

Ilex (up to 90cm): winter-only, bare stems strung with red berries. Looks like someone drew a plant rather than grew one.

Cherry and quince blossom (spring): forced branches that flower indoors before the garden does. A fortnight of spring in October.

Eucalyptus (60cm bunches): hang one in the shower and the steam turns your bathroom into a spa for a month. Also good in a vase, but the shower trick is why people buy it.

Nobilis and conifer (winter): the structural greens for cold months, lasts weeks and smells like a forest rather than a florist.

Placement, quickly

Tall branches (100cm+) belong on the floor in a corner, catching a wall shadow. Medium cuts (60-90cm) go on consoles and kitchen islands where you see the silhouette against a wall. Eucalyptus goes in the shower or nowhere.

One rule: give a branch room. A single tall piece in an empty corner reads as sculpture. The same piece crowded by furniture reads as yard waste.

Care, such as it is

Split the base of the stem vertically about 3cm so the woody tissue can drink. Fresh water weekly. When flowering branches finish, many dry in place and hold for months, which is when they move from 'flowers' to the dried roster anyway.