Flowers That Never Fade

I'm always a bit ambivalent about the first frost of fall; on the one hand it’s nice to be freed from the garden's tyranny, on the other, it's sad to lose the golden days of summer. One thing I'm not at all ambivalent about is the joy of looking at a summer bouquet in mid-February, and it's relatively easy to do, if you take some time now to cut, dry and store summer's blooms.

 

A surprising number of flowers retain their color, shape and form when dried. These are called, sensibly enough, everlastings. Evelastings can be annuals, perennials or biennials. The easiest way to preserve many everlastings is by the old-fashioned method of air drying.

 

Air drying is almost as simple as it sounds. Basically, you pick, bunch, and then hang the flowers to dry. But as with most ventures, you'll be more successful if you follow a few guidelines.

 

Cut flowers on a dry, sunny day in the late morning (just after the dew has evaporated). In most cases, it’s best to cut flowers before they are fully open. Most will open more as they dry. Strawflowers (Helichrysum), should be cut when 1 to 2 rows of petals show. They unfold fully as they dry. Try not to collect flowers that are diseased, damaged by insects or past their prime. These defects will be magnified when the plant is dry.

 

Next strip the leaves from the stems, make small bunches of 6 to 8 flowers, slip a rubber hand around the stems, and hang (heads down) in a warm, airy room. If you have lots of bunches to dry, consider stringing clothesline or wire across the drying room. Most flowers will air dry in three to five weeks. Choose a room without direct sunlight so your flower colors don't fade.

 

Annuals that air dry well include strawflowers (Helichrysum), statice (Limonium), Queen-Anne's lace (Daucus), globe amaranth (Gomphrena), celosia or cockscomb (Celosia), Bells-of-Ireland (Moluccella), larkspurs (Consilida) and helipterum (Helipterum). Good perennials are artemisias (Artemisia), baby's-breath (Gypsophila), Chinese lantern (Physalis), onions (Allium), delphiniums (Delphinium), goldenrod (Solidago), money plant (Lunaria), pearly everlasting (Anaphalis), tansy (Tanacetum) and yarrow (Achillea).

 

Some plants will look more natural if they're dried right side up. Grasses and Chinese lanterns fall into this group. To do this, cover a large container with hardware cloth or chicken wire and poke the flower stems down through the wire mesh.

 

Flowers that have weak stems (strawflowers, Helipterum) must be wired with floral wire before drying. Wire gauge 22 or 23 is a good all-purpose size. Cut off the stems, leaving a 1-inch stub extending from the flower head. Insert a 6 to 8-inch long piece of wire into the stem, up to but not through the flower. As the stem dries it will shrink and grip the wire. Later you can wrap green or brown floral tape around the wire for a more natural look.

 

If you want to dry more delicate flowers like roses, lilies, dahlias or daisies it's best to use one of the dehydrating mediums. White silica sand (fine particles) or a mixture of one part borax to three parts of corn meal can be used. These mixes take 2 to 4 weeks to dry the flowers.

 

If you want to speed up the process you can purchase silica gel, a granular desiccant that will dry most flowers in 5 to 10 days. Although it's expensive, flowers do tend to retain more of their natural color and shape.

 

The latest method for drying flowers uses the microwave. Drying times are generally quite short - a few seconds to several minutes. Drying times depend on the size end moisture content of the plant material. So you'll need to cut enough flowers to do some experimenting.

 

In fact, when it comes to preserving flowers, herbs, grasses and seed pods there really are no hard and fast rules. Experiment with different plants and methods to find what works best for you. If you get really excited there are entire books devoted to the subject which you can find in your local library or bookstore. And if you’re just starting out you can call the UNH Cooperative Extension’s Family, Home & Garden Education Center ’s Info-Line toll free at 1-877-398-4769 for “Practical Solutions to Everyday Questions”. Trained volunteers are available to answer your questions Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 2:00pm .

 

By Margaret Hagen, Extension Educator University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension