Flower Library
Winged Everlasting
Ammobium · Asteraceae
The winged everlasting is the strawflower's little white sister: button-sized blooms with papery, silver-white bracts around a golden centre that already feel rustling-dry on the stem. It is a classic of dried floristry currently enjoying a comeback. During the summer season we buy it by the bunch at the Veiling Rhein-Maas.
- Season
- June – July – August – September
- Vase life
- 8–14 days
- Latin name
- Ammobium
- Colors
- White with a yellow centre, Silver-white
The English name winged everlasting describes the plant's most striking feature: its stems carry winged green leaf margins that make them angular and distinctive. What looks like white petals is actually dry bracts — the true flowers sit as a yellow button in the centre. Precisely this construction is what makes everlastings so durable.
The trade carries almost exclusively Ammobium alatum, usually in the larger-flowered selection „Grandiflorum“. At one to two centimetres the blooms are much smaller than strawflowers, but they come in great numbers on branching stems — creating a scattered, starry effect in a bouquet.
Used fresh, the winged everlasting is a dainty filler for summer and meadow bouquets. Its true calling, however, is drying: no other process suits it so losslessly, since the bracts are naturally dry and keep their white almost entirely.
The key craft move: for drying, cut the stems just as the blooms begin to open, while the yellow centre is still closed. Harvest or buy too late and the centres turn brownish as they dry and run to seed — the most common mistake with all everlastings.
In dried work ammobium is the small white that mediates between lavender, statice and dyed grasses. The firm little heads are also excellent for wreaths, pendants and hair accessories — they can even be wired individually, as used to be standard practice in every workshop.
Is Winged Everlasting toxic to children and pets?
- Children
- Non-toxic
- Cats
- Non-toxic
- Dogs
- Non-toxic
The winged everlasting is considered non-toxic to cats, dogs and children. Dried plant parts are hard and brittle — they can irritate mechanically if swallowed, but they are not poisonous.
Overview: toxic & non-toxic plants for cats, dogs and children
Care
- 01Fresh: cut the stems at an angle and stand them in a little clean water.
- 02Remove the foliage from the lower stem.
- 03Change the water every two to three days.
- 04To dry, tie loose bunches and hang them upside down somewhere dark and airy.
- 05For drying, choose blooms at the half-open stage — the centres then stay bright.
- 06Protect dried bouquets from direct sun and moisture.
Frequently asked
- What is an everlasting?
- Everlastings are flowers whose blooms consist of dry, papery bracts and therefore keep their shape and colour after drying — hence the name. Strawflower, statice and the winged everlasting all belong to this group.
- Is the winged everlasting toxic to cats or dogs?
- No, ammobium is considered non-toxic to cats, dogs and children. With dried bouquets only the usual caution applies: the hard, dry plant parts can cause mechanical irritation if swallowed.
- When do you cut ammobium for dried bouquets?
- At the half-open stage, while the yellow centre is still closed. The blooms then dry pure white and stay firm. Fully open heads turn brown in the centre and tend to fall apart.
- How long does a dried bouquet with winged everlastings last?
- Kept dry, dust-free and out of direct sun, the blooms easily last a year or more. The white yellows slightly over time — placing the bouquet in bright but sunless spot delays that considerably.