Pressed Petals
Text and Artwork
By
Füsun Atalay Copyright © 2004
Drying flowers is a rewarding experience because it is easy to do, most flowers dry remarkably well, and they last for many years. Blooms and foliage can be preserved in several different ways, by hanging, pressing or with various drying agents.
The renaissance of country decorating has brought with it the return of the romantic art of drying flowers, making flower preservation an increasingly popular hobby. Whether they are used in potpourri, bouquets, pressed flower pictures or wreaths, preserving flowers can allow us to capture the elusive loveliness of Newfoundland summers and its variety of wildflowers by recreating a gentler time of beauty and elegance.
The renaissance of country decorating has brought with it the return of the romantic art of drying flowers, making flower preservation an increasingly popular hobby. Whether they are used in potpourri, bouquets, pressed flower pictures or wreaths, preserving flowers can allow us to capture the elusive loveliness of Newfoundland summers and its variety of wildflowers by recreating a gentler time of beauty and elegance.
Even with the popularity and life-like appearance of artificial silk flowers, many still prefer the real blooms preserved in a life-like manner. Flowers such as buttercups, wild irises, roses, bellflowers, bunchberry flowers, brown-eyed Susan plants and Queen Ann's lace are readily available in green spaces and the countryside all over the Island; and the costs of materials needed for drying them are relatively inexpensive compared to those of other hobbies.
Many summer flowering annuals are also excellent for drying. Marigold, salvia, cosmos, zinnia, coreopsis, pansies and gloriosa daisy may be among the more popular flowers to decorate our gardens, however, ageratum, dahlia, calendula, chrysanthemum, dianthus, aster and daisies also make fine dried specimens.
The inspiration to grow and use dried flowers is as close as your own backyard, window box or the garden centres around town. Many of the common annuals like zinnia and marigold are readily dried. Look for transplants of everlasting flowers such as globe amaranth, cockscomb (both crested and plumed), statice, baby's breath, dollar plant, Chinese lantern, and bells-of-Ireland. These are the ones most often used in dried-flower crafting. They're so easy, they almost dry themselves. The various ornamental grasses, love-in-a-mist seed pods, blue sage as well as its white-flowered variation, and larkspur, can also be dried easily.
All of these flowers and plants are air dried, which basically involves cutting them when the dew is gone, tying several stems together with string or pipe cleaner after the leaves are removed, and hanging in a cool, dry, dark, well-ventilated place. Drying times vary; check how they feel after a week or so. When they feel crisp, take them down and store in paper bags or boxes.
Most of these flowers can be used just as they are, but some may need wire stems to use them in bouquets. To wire, cut off the flower stem and thread a length of 20-gauge florist wire through the centre. Make a two-inch hairpin bend at the top, and pull it gently through the centre of the flower. Wire the new stem with floral tape to cover.
Preserving other garden flowers like roses and peonies requires a drying agent. Sand, fresh kitty litter, a white cornmeal-and-borax mixture are all common, household materials used for this purpose. But for best results use silica gel. This compound has the capacity to absorb large quantities of moisture and can quickly dehydrate cut flowers. Roses and peonies shrink somewhat when they are air-dried, but their rustic looking elegance is, nevertheless, uncompromised.
Many summer flowering annuals are also excellent for drying. Marigold, salvia, cosmos, zinnia, coreopsis, pansies and gloriosa daisy may be among the more popular flowers to decorate our gardens, however, ageratum, dahlia, calendula, chrysanthemum, dianthus, aster and daisies also make fine dried specimens.
The inspiration to grow and use dried flowers is as close as your own backyard, window box or the garden centres around town. Many of the common annuals like zinnia and marigold are readily dried. Look for transplants of everlasting flowers such as globe amaranth, cockscomb (both crested and plumed), statice, baby's breath, dollar plant, Chinese lantern, and bells-of-Ireland. These are the ones most often used in dried-flower crafting. They're so easy, they almost dry themselves. The various ornamental grasses, love-in-a-mist seed pods, blue sage as well as its white-flowered variation, and larkspur, can also be dried easily.
All of these flowers and plants are air dried, which basically involves cutting them when the dew is gone, tying several stems together with string or pipe cleaner after the leaves are removed, and hanging in a cool, dry, dark, well-ventilated place. Drying times vary; check how they feel after a week or so. When they feel crisp, take them down and store in paper bags or boxes.
Most of these flowers can be used just as they are, but some may need wire stems to use them in bouquets. To wire, cut off the flower stem and thread a length of 20-gauge florist wire through the centre. Make a two-inch hairpin bend at the top, and pull it gently through the centre of the flower. Wire the new stem with floral tape to cover.
Preserving other garden flowers like roses and peonies requires a drying agent. Sand, fresh kitty litter, a white cornmeal-and-borax mixture are all common, household materials used for this purpose. But for best results use silica gel. This compound has the capacity to absorb large quantities of moisture and can quickly dehydrate cut flowers. Roses and peonies shrink somewhat when they are air-dried, but their rustic looking elegance is, nevertheless, uncompromised.
In selecting flowers it should also be noted that blue and yellow flowers (hydrangeas, yellow mums) retain their colours when they are air dried, whereas pink flowers fade.
Flowers, stripped of their leaves, are buried in the gel in a closed container and left for about a week. Silica gel is sold under various commercial names usually available at florist or hobby shops and it can be used over and over by re-drying the gel in a warm oven.
Picking flowers in the middle of the day ensures the petals are fully open and the morning dew has dried. Select blossoms that are at the peak of their colour. Cut stems to three centimetres long and remove any leaves. Fill the bottom of a flat dish or cardboard box with 3 centimetres of the drying agent and place the flowers in.
After you've dried your flowers, put a strand of No. 2 florists’ wire through each flower's head, securing the wire by bending it into a hood at the flower-head end. The final step is to wrap all wire with green floral tape and you're ready to create a unique bouquet.
Flowers like calendula, marigold, mums, star aster, hydrangea, and zinnia with many petals fare better if they are placed facing up. Experimenting is the key to success. Spikes of flowers like snapdragons and scarlet sage are placed horizontally, carefully adding more drying agent until the flowers are completely covered. The drying time varies, but check after several days. Dry petals should feel like paper. Store dried flowers in boxes with a little silica gel to absorb moisture in the air. If they are being used in arrangements, wire the stems to keep them upright.
Flat- faced flowers such as daisies, pansies, petunias, and forget-me-nots, as well as fern fonds and variegated leaves are excellent to press and use for decorating stationery, bookmarks, or place mats. Arrange three or four flowers, face down, between sheets of blotting paper and place between the pages of news print or an old telephone book. Check after a week, as drying time may take anywhere from a week to four weeks.
When you use them for making greeting cards or bookmarks, it is best to place the flowers in various compositions and attractive arrangements before deciding on the most pleasing composition. Once you have picked the arrangement you like, then you can laminate the dried blooms, laid out on the stationery or construction paper, for creative and one-of-a-kind bookmarks or special occasion cards.
Potpourris are created by drying petals on screens or trays in a dehydrator, a gas oven with a pilot light, or an electric oven on the lowest setting. Rose petals make up the bulk of the scented mixture, with other flowers, herbs, spices, and citrus peels exuding additional fragrance and colour. Add ten to twelve drops of an essential oil like lavender, cinnamon or citronella to enhance the fragrance; and three tablespoons of ground orris root (a common ingredient in talcum powders) to each quart of dried material as a fixative.
Whatever flowers and whichever method you choose, the use of dried flowers for permanent arrangements or colourful crafts can be rewarding as well as surprisingly inexpensive; and they are a joy to give, or a pleasure to keep.
Picking flowers in the middle of the day ensures the petals are fully open and the morning dew has dried. Select blossoms that are at the peak of their colour. Cut stems to three centimetres long and remove any leaves. Fill the bottom of a flat dish or cardboard box with 3 centimetres of the drying agent and place the flowers in.
After you've dried your flowers, put a strand of No. 2 florists’ wire through each flower's head, securing the wire by bending it into a hood at the flower-head end. The final step is to wrap all wire with green floral tape and you're ready to create a unique bouquet.
Flowers like calendula, marigold, mums, star aster, hydrangea, and zinnia with many petals fare better if they are placed facing up. Experimenting is the key to success. Spikes of flowers like snapdragons and scarlet sage are placed horizontally, carefully adding more drying agent until the flowers are completely covered. The drying time varies, but check after several days. Dry petals should feel like paper. Store dried flowers in boxes with a little silica gel to absorb moisture in the air. If they are being used in arrangements, wire the stems to keep them upright.
Flat- faced flowers such as daisies, pansies, petunias, and forget-me-nots, as well as fern fonds and variegated leaves are excellent to press and use for decorating stationery, bookmarks, or place mats. Arrange three or four flowers, face down, between sheets of blotting paper and place between the pages of news print or an old telephone book. Check after a week, as drying time may take anywhere from a week to four weeks.
When you use them for making greeting cards or bookmarks, it is best to place the flowers in various compositions and attractive arrangements before deciding on the most pleasing composition. Once you have picked the arrangement you like, then you can laminate the dried blooms, laid out on the stationery or construction paper, for creative and one-of-a-kind bookmarks or special occasion cards.
Potpourris are created by drying petals on screens or trays in a dehydrator, a gas oven with a pilot light, or an electric oven on the lowest setting. Rose petals make up the bulk of the scented mixture, with other flowers, herbs, spices, and citrus peels exuding additional fragrance and colour. Add ten to twelve drops of an essential oil like lavender, cinnamon or citronella to enhance the fragrance; and three tablespoons of ground orris root (a common ingredient in talcum powders) to each quart of dried material as a fixative.
Whatever flowers and whichever method you choose, the use of dried flowers for permanent arrangements or colourful crafts can be rewarding as well as surprisingly inexpensive; and they are a joy to give, or a pleasure to keep.
Copyrighted Material ~ Copyright © 2004 ~ All Rights belong to Füsun Atalay
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