At the flower shop this week I saw a plant that looked like small suede buttons. Its name is Silver Brunia (Brunia laevis) and its blue-grey color made it a soft contrast to all of the bundles of bright colors around it. See the BIG PICTURES after the jump.

I wanted something soft, so went with creamy longstem roses that have edges of deep pink. They seemed like they were made of buttercream, and they fell apart the same way a week later, like a beautiful deflating cake. The Silver Brunia made all the little rose-colored accents stand out, but not the same effect as the bright bouquets at the shop (take a look below).

After the roses were gone, the Silver Brunia still remained. It is from a shrub from South Africa, and seems to last a long time as a cut flower. Mine looks as fresh as the first day - after two weeks.

There has been a nice chain reaction with buying weekly flowers. I look forward to getting them - and then look forward to enjoying them on our table. And that has made me try to keep the front a bit cleaner, even if it is just for the weekend.

matt at apartment therapy dot com