Dried flowers

Some of the flowers I put in are ideal for drying.  I have straw flowers, Statice, Celosia, and hare's tail grass in the annual bed.  I also have a Hydrangea which is in beautiful bloom this year.

My preference for drying is to bind bouquets of the same flowers and colors with rubber bands near the bottom.  I hang them from my clothes line in the basement upside down.  The rubber band is the best fastener as it contracts with the shrinking stems as they dry.  String and wire remain the same size and flowers can start dropping out when the loop loosens up as the stems dry.  I use spring-type clothes pins to fasten the rubber band to the line.

I have also dried flowers in a container filled with borax.  This is good for flowers that are not ideal for drying.  Some flowers will droop and sag.  In borax, they stay flat (like daisies) or round (like roses) as the powder holds them in the original shape they you picked them in minus the water.  You do have to carefully take them out as they are brittle at this point.

One other method for drying flowers is a flower press.  Two boards of the same size, cardboard cut to fit, and paper towel to absorb the moisture.  Bind the boards together with strapping or belts that can be tightened down with a friction type latch that will hold them tightly together.  A heavy weight on top will also do the same thing just not as portable.  A more elaborate set up would be long bolts on each corner with washers and wing nuts to tighten it all down.  You can pull the petals from flowers with a large center to use in cards and pictures.  A bit of clear drying glue or laminate will keep them beautiful for a long time.

Seed catalogs often have a separate category for dried flowers.  If you are a crafty person who likes to garden, this can combine two hobbies into one.  Check out different kinds of plants to see what works and rule out those that aren't your style.  The hare's tail grass was something I had never seen before.  It has been a pretty little addition to the garden and has dried very well.  My hope is to incorporate some of these dried flowers into a floral arrangement at my daughter's wedding.