Guide to the Best Flowers for Adding Volume to Bouquets

Creating a full, lush bouquet requires more than just beautiful focal flowers—you need volume fillers that add body, texture, and visual interest without overwhelming your arrangement. Here’s your guide to the best flowers for building volume.

Classic Volume Builders

Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila) The quintessential filler flower creates an airy, cloud-like effect that softens any arrangement. Its tiny white or pink blooms branch out extensively, making a little go a long way. Baby’s breath works in both rustic and elegant designs and dries beautifully for lasting arrangements.

Waxflower These delicate clusters of small, waxy blooms come in white, pink, and purple. Waxflower adds a similar ethereal quality to baby’s breath but with slightly more substance and color variety. The stems are highly branched, providing excellent coverage.

Statice (Limonium) Available in vibrant purples, pinks, whites, and yellows, statice offers papery, textured blooms on branching stems. It holds up exceptionally well and maintains its color when dried, making it perfect for arrangements meant to last.

Textural Volume Flowers

Solidago (Goldenrod) These cheerful yellow plumes add both height and fullness. The tiny flowers cluster along arching stems, creating a fountain-like effect that fills gaps beautifully. Despite its reputation, modern cultivated varieties don’t trigger allergies.

Astilbe Feathery plumes in shades of white, pink, red, and lavender provide soft, romantic volume. Astilbe works particularly well in garden-style arrangements and adds a whimsical, textured element that catches light beautifully.

Queen Anne’s Lace These delicate white flower clusters create an incredibly romantic, wildflower aesthetic. The lacy, flat-topped blooms add both width and airiness, perfect for bohemian or garden-inspired bouquets.

Bold Volume Additions

Hydrangeas When you need serious volume quickly, hydrangeas are unmatched. A single stem can fill substantial space with clustered blooms in blues, pinks, whites, and greens. They work as both focal flowers and volume builders depending on your design.

Spray Roses Unlike single-stem roses, spray roses feature multiple smaller blooms per stem. They add fullness while maintaining elegance and come in virtually every color imaginable. The multiple blooms create natural volume without appearing too dense.

康乃馨 Often underrated, carnations are workhorses for volume. Modern varieties feature ruffled petals in stunning colors, and their sturdy stems support the arrangement structure. Spray carnations offer even more blooms per stem.

Greenery That Adds Volume

Eucalyptus Silver dollar, seeded, and spiral eucalyptus varieties add substantial volume with their branching stems and round or elongated leaves. The silvery-green foliage provides visual breathing room while filling space beautifully.

Leather Leaf Fern These lacy, deep green fronds extend outward from the bouquet, creating a natural framework and adding fullness around the edges. They’re sturdy and long-lasting.

Ruscus Available in regular and Italian varieties, ruscus features small leaves along branching stems that create airy volume. It’s particularly useful for adding movement and flow to arrangements.

Tips for Using Volume Flowers

Layer Strategically: Place larger volume flowers like hydrangeas first, then fill in with medium fillers like waxflower, and finish with delicate options like baby’s breath.

Consider Proportions: Volume flowers should typically be smaller than your focal blooms and placed at varying depths to create dimension rather than a flat surface.

Mix Textures: Combine different types of volume flowers—pair the airiness of baby’s breath with the substance of solidago or the softness of astilbe with the structure of eucalyptus.

Don’t Overcrowd: While you want fullness, leaving some space allows individual flowers to shine and prevents a cluttered appearance.

Think About Color: White and light-colored fillers recede visually, making bouquets feel lighter and airier. Darker or more colorful fillers add drama and boldness.

The secret to a professional-looking bouquet lies in thoughtful use of these volume-building flowers. They transform sparse arrangements into lush, dimensional creations that feel abundant and beautifully finished.