How to Preserve Flowers, Foliage
AIR DRYING: BEST FOR FLOWERS The easiest and least expensive method. Don’t be discouraged if your dried flowers don’t resemble the vividly colored ones you may have seen in store-bought arrangements. These may have been freeze-dried, a method that requires costly equipment and professional expertise. Your air-dried flowers will fade gently and have a fragile, antique elegance. Handle carefully. Getting Started * When to pick flowers: Early morning or late afternoon. * Drying small bunches: Remove lower leaves. Secure flowers into small bunches by wrapping rubber band around stems. * Drying individual flowers: Large flowers or those with dense foliage should be dried individually. Remove lower leaves. Drying Process * Hanging small bunches: Hang upside down on a clothes drying rack in a warm, dry place. Good air circulation is essential. Without it, the flowers will mildew. To preserve color, do not hang in direct sunlight. A spare room is best, but a shed or garage will do. * Don’t overcrowd: Leaving space between bunches so flowers don’t overlap allows moisture to evaporate. * Top-heavy or difficult to hang plants: Sunflowers, maize or artichokes, for instance, can be dried right-side up. Place a piece of chicken wire over the top of a box deep enough to contain the stem. Push stems through chicken wire so flower heads rest on top of mesh right side up. * Delicate materials: Moss and lichen can be dried on top of crumpled sheets of newspaper. * When they’re ready: Plants are dry when they become papery and stems have shrunk. Take care not to remove them too soon, or they will mildew. * Exception: Some plants dry best in a small amount of water. These include hydrangea, gypsophila (baby’s breath), proteas, statice, mimosa and achillea. Stand them upright in the drying area in a vase containing a half-inch of water. By the time the water is absorbed, the flowers will most likely be dry. Best Flowers for Air-Drying Achillea Baby’s breath German statice Globe thistle Hydrangea Lamb’s ears Larkspur Love-in-a-mist Mimosa Money plant (or lunaria) Poppy Protea Roses Yarrow Strawflower Statice Delphinium Lavender Queen Anne’s lace
PRESERVING WITH GLYCERIN: BEST FOR FOLIAGE * Plant absorbs solution of glycerin and water though stem. Eventually, the water evaporates from the plant, leaving only the glycerin in plant tissues. Ivy, catkins, laurel, magnolia, ferns, eucalyptus and other leaves and foliage respond well to this treatment. The process requires experimentation, because results vary among plants. Getting Started * When to pick foliage: Gather mature, fresh-cut branches or stems while the sap is still rising, usually in summer. * Damaged or new leaves: Remove them because they don’t respond well to glycerin. * Aiding absorption: Crush or cut the ends of woody stems at an acute angle. Drying Process * Preparing the glycerin: Mix two parts hot water to one part glycerin (available at pharmacies). Pour a few inches of mixture into a tall vase. Place plants in vase. Plants will absorb mixture and become preserved. Add more mixture to vase as it is absorbed. * Plants change color: As plants absorb glycerin, there will be a slight color change. * When they’re ready: When all portions of plant have changed, it is properly dried. Foliage will remain supple. Plants with natural brown tint, such as oak, will take on a lustrous bronze. Others may turn yellow or murky brown. Try adding a few drops of food coloring to the glycerin solution to achieve desired color. Experiment freely. Best Foliage for Glycerin Boxwood Camellia leaves Catkins Cotoneaster Eucalyptus Ferns Ivy Magnolia leaves Oak leaves
SILICA DRYING: BEST FOR DELICATE FLOWER HEADS Individual flower heads can be dried with silica gel crystals. The highly absorbent, sand-like particles remove moisture from plant tissues and work well on delicate flowers, such as lilies and tulips. Silica is sold in flower-drying kits available at crafts shops. Getting Started * When to pick flowers: Early morning or late afternoon. * Remove stems. Drying will take place in shallow container with no room for long stems. Drying Process * Prepare crystals: Silica contains a chemical indicator that turns pink when crystals are full of moisture and blue when dry and ready for use. If crystals are pink, they must be dried in warm oven. Place several cups of silica in a 250-degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until it turns blue. Allow to cool. * Line container: Use half of silica to cover bottom of air-tight container. * Lay flower heads face up on top of silica: Leave space between flowers. * Covering flowers in crystal: Gently sprinkle silica crystals between petals, using a toothpick or an artist’s paintbrush to push crystals into spaces. Gently pour remaining silica crystals to cover each flower completely, taking care not to distort the shape. * Set aside: Leave container in a warm, dry place for two days. * When they’re ready: Pour off the silica through your fingers into a separate container until the buried flowers drop into your hand. Carefully brush off remaining crystals with paintbrush. If they are papery yet supple, they’re ready. Over-drying will make plants brittle and they will shatter when handled. Drying times will vary from a few days to one week. Silica is reusable. Simply dry it in the oven again before use. Flowers Camellia Carnation Cyclamen Dahlia Freesia Hyacinth Iris Lily Pansy Poppy Tulip Extra-Long Life * Chemical sealants: Craft shops sell sealants designed to make dried materials last longer and keep them from fading. Purchase the right type for the kind of plants you are working with. Although there are some nontoxic types available, most require caution when using. Spray in a ventilated area, taking care not to breathe fumes. * Steaming: If petals become distorted from storage, steam them over a pan of boiling water to restore shape. Sources: “An English Country Ladies’ Book of Dried Flowers†by Amanda Docker (Doubleday, $35); “Flower Arranging†by John Clayton and the Royal Horticultural Society (Gallery Books, $25) Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times
