If you needed any proof that billy buttons (Craspedia globosa) look striking in a bouquet, then take a peek at this. Yellow is not my favourite colour, but these golden yellow blooms look gorgeous. Even the boutonnieres are divine. Egmont Seeds sells billy buttons if you’re keen to try them, but the seeds are best sown in spring.
These beautiful images come from the website Le Frufru.
Billy buttons look amazing! I’ve planted seeds but they don’t sprout. Are there any florist in NZ selling them as cut flowers? Thank you
Hi there. I don’t know of any florists selling them, unfortunately. I even had a florist ask me where to get them from. They are quite new to our shores, so growers here may only just be coming around to them. When you sow the seed, just give it a very light covering. Keep the tray or pot in a warm spot and keep evenly moist until germination. Billy buttons need a relatively warm soil (22degC) to germinate. But if you keep the tray warm, the seeds should germinate.
Thank you for your reply, I will give the seeds another go. (It is odd no florist stock them though. According to the information on internet, craspedia is a NZ native plant)
Hi Miss C. It’s true that craspedia is native to NZ, however, not the species Craspedia globosa, which is the one used for cut flowers. Those native to NZ are C. incana, C. lanata, C. uniflora and C. uniflora var. maritima. None of these are suitable for cut flowers. I suspect you will see billy buttons at the florists in the next year or so, once growers have cottoned on to the fact that it’s a flower much in demand.