Turn Brussel Sprouts Into A Surprisingly Gorgeous Flower Arrangement

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but what if it wasn't a rose at all? Fresh herbs and vegetables show up in floral arrangements in some unexpected ways. When you're ready to raid the vegetable garden instead of the flower bed to fill your next vase, there are plenty of ideas to get you started. But of all the fresh ideas for bouquets, none is more surprising than using Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea). Brussels sprouts grow on stalks covered with what look like tiny cabbages, and the effect is something that's artistic in its own right. However, when you see the way Instagram creator @heylee.blooms uses this plant in her floral arrangement, you may not even recognize it.

What @heylee.blooms does is take each individual Brussels sprout and carefully pull the leaves back so they look like tiny cabbage rosettes. Then, she puts them on floral picks and inserts them into her floral arrangements. This works beautifully because the ruffled edges of the leaves already resemble rose petals. In her arrangement, the bright yellow-green of the Brussels sprouts offers a striking contrast to the white blossoms, and it's easy to see how these little cabbages could become the star in a unique floral arrangement for a Thanksgiving gathering. In fact, like the Della Robbia floral designs made from fruits and vegetables that have been popular since the 15th century, ideas like these are great conversation pieces.

You don't have to create a Della Robbia floral design to enjoy fruits and vegetables in your flower arrangements. Fruits and vegetables can add unique textures and patterns to your displays in a variety of ways, and with everything from carrots to tomato plants being used, there's really no limit. Because of how charming the effect of using Brussels sprouts in floral arrangements is and the fact that Cabbage Crush is the vegetable-inspired decor trend Pinterest says we'll be seeing everywhere in 2026, there's room for even more brassica-inspired botanical displays.

Even though there are a lot of beautiful flowers you should be growing in your vegetable garden for floral arrangements, Brussels sprouts should take the lead at the end of the year. The bright green palette reminds us of spring and summer, but this is a cool-season plant that's harvested in the fall and winter, making it ideal for holiday arrangements. 

If you decide to grow Brussels sprouts, the stalk itself, which can bear up to 100 sprouts, would be an impressive addition to a large floral arrangement. But whether you're trying to add a touch of green to your bouquets or you want those cute little rosettes in your centerpieces, the best thing about the way @heylee.blooms uses this unexpected ingredient in floral arrangements is that you can pick these up in the produce aisle any time of year. They would also be a stunning addition to an Easter centerpiece with carrots, if you can still find them in season around then.