The Flower Arranger's Garden by Patricia R. Barrett

Author:Patricia R. Barrett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Published: 1988-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

Drying and Preserving Flowers

In addition to the flowers that can be picked and used right away in delightful arrangements, there are many flowers that are better for arranging when dried or preserved. Many garden flowers and wild-flowers may be dried by using a dessicant or by hanging them upside down to air dry, but some flowers tolerate it better than others.

Drying Agents

Dessicant comes in 3 forms: borax, sand or a silica gel, all of which absorb moisture from the flower. Different mixtures to try are: borax; half borax and half corn meal; half borax and half white silica builder’s sand; fine white builder’s sand; and “Flower Dri” and similar products. Many different flowers may be dried using this method. Its benefit is that the flower’s color is preserved well. Its disadvantage is that it is rather time consuming, and the boxes filled with the drying agent can take up quite a bit of room. Dessicants are probably the best way to preserve those special blooms of roses, daffodils and zinnias. Any garden flower may be tried.

The process is simple enough. Cut the flowers on a sunny day before they have reached full maturity and when the colors are clear and true. Strip the leaves from the stalks and place the stalks lengthwise in a box of the dessicant. Round flowers such as zinnias, chrysanthemums, marigolds and anemones should be laced face down. Cover the flowers gently with more of the mixture.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.