For the Love of Texture

A couple bunches of Berzelia or ‘Buttonbush’… is all you need for that occasional texture fix. This ‘other-worldly’ botanical is a BIG favorite of ours here on the farm. For all the visual impact these bobbles offer, their unique element of texture not only appeals to your sense of sight, but also to your tactile senses as well. Whether it is Berzelia Lanuginosa or Red Jelly, these small, round buttons are engaging, making you want to just reach out and touch them.

Berzelia, is one of approximately eight species found in the Bruniaceae family, one of the few families that is endemic to the Cape Floral Kingdom. It is a wonderful evergreen shrub that grows naturally in the wild from the northwestern to the southwestern parts of the Western Cape.

Berzelia can grow to more than 4 feet tall. Its branches are long, slender and straight. It has soft, fern-like foliage that surrounds the entire stem from top to bottom in a spiral-like design. The flowers are often massed in spherical heads and range in colors from creamy white to several shades of green, yellow and some varieties are even two-toned. Berzelia flowers from winter through spring. Then after flowering, it develops attractive, creamy white seeds that can remain on the shrub for at least one to two years. This wonderful botanical has become extremely popular among designers throughout the world for its exotic appearance and fabulous texture which compliments a range of stylist moods.

In the Field: Brunia Albiflora

Whenever this beautiful botanical is seen, it is often greeted with surprise as if it has never been seen before. The mysterious, almost alien looking Brunia albiflora or also called Coffee Bush after it's coffee scented flowers is a summer favorite. Albiflora has long leafy branches with beautiful dark green foliage that resembles a pine tree, but is much, much softer. The flowers or ‘bobbles’ are crowded into tight spherical knob-like inflorescences that are clustered into flat, rounded heads in a deep green hue touched with silver. The flower-heads are very striking, and branches are mostly sold with the flower-heads still in bud.

However, in late summer the flowers start to open in a ring, starting on the outside of the bobble and working inwards. Each tiny flower is about ¼” long, white with yellow stamens sticking out, giving the inflorescence a yellowish tinge.

Whether in a bud stage or flowering, Brunia Albilfora adds a unique and long-lasting touch and texture to any floral arrangement or bouquet.

What to look for

• If possible, buy before the flowers are open as branches with cones last longer than open flowers; 
• Leaves should have a glossy green appearance; 
• Avoid bunches with flowers showing brown marks.

Flower Care

1. Keep cool. 
2. Strip leaves from the lower half of each stem. 
3. Recut at least ½” off each branch and place in water. 
4. Don’t use a preservative as this may open the flower-buds. 
5. Add a half cap of bleach to the vase. 
6. Replace vase water with fresh water every 2 days.