Flower care guide

Ruscus

Slim arching stems set with small, pointed dark green leaves. The workhorse foliage of the trade, and the reason many arrangements hold their shape.

In season

Year round.

Also known as

Italian ruscus, butcher's broom

Recut the stems at an angle and strip anything below the waterline.

Change the water every four or five days. Ruscus asks for very little and keeps going long after the flowers around it.

When an arrangement is finished, pull the ruscus out, rinse the stems and keep them. It will happily go into the next vase of flowers.

What look like ruscus leaves are actually flattened stems, which is why they are so much tougher than a true leaf.

Arrangements with this flower