Fern fronds are often not the first thing that springs to mind when you are considering the flowers for your wedding day.But ferns with their sculptural qualities can add a different touch to your floral arrangements and even your cake.

On the tables consider a found item of a fallen branch with moss or lichen attached, surrounded by tiny ferns, and pebbles such as you would find in a bush setting. Dot tiny pottery mushrooms in amongst the ferns – particularly pretty for a wedding based in ‘nature’. The Adiantum species of fern (or as we know them – Maidenhair ferns) look delicate and lush and would be perfect for this, enhanced by other small ferns with different leaf shapes and colours. Ask someone to mist these if the day is hot and keep them in the shade.

In larger arrangements fishbone ferns (Blechnum species), or even larger Dryopteris species known as shield ferns or wood ferns would look striking in large pots or in arrangements with other greenery. Flowers, berries or other leaves that have a bold definite shape look best with ferns – such as orchids or bold Australian natives.

The baby fronds of ferns are particularly beautiful as they unfurl their downy brown spirals. On some ferns the newer fronds are a soft pinky bronze, and even the underside of the mature fronds can be covered in brown spores. Use the differing colours to your advantage, to emphasise different colours in your bouquet for instance. In Australia we can sometimes find paddocks of bracken fern which dries off to a crisp chalky brown in the winter – stunning enough to be included with autumn leaves and berries.