Bells of Ireland

Bells of Ireland aren't Irish and they aren't bells, which is a good start. What they actually are is a series of large, shell-shaped, apple-green calyxes arranged up a tall spike, each one cupping a tiny white flower that's almost invisible inside. The effect is unlike anything else you'll find in a florist — a column of translucent green that seems to glow from within.

I use them the way I'd use foliage — as a structural element that brings freshness and a completely different texture to an arrangement. Mixed with creamy dahlias and soft pink roses, they add that unexpected green note that stops everything looking too sweet. They're the cool one in the group.

The green is extraordinary. It's not dark or forest — it's a bright, clear, limey apple-green that catches the light and looks almost luminous. Each individual 'bell' is veined and slightly translucent, which gives the whole spike a delicacy that belies its actually rather sturdy constitution.

They last well as a cut flower and they dry beautifully — the green fades to a lovely parchment colour and the shells hold their form for months. I dry a few every year for winter arrangements, where they bring an architectural quality that dried seed heads alone can't manage. They're also surprisingly easy to grow from seed, though they need a bit of cold to germinate, which seems appropriate for something pretending to be Irish.