Drying Flowers from your Garden

11/22/08

There are several methods available for drying fresh flowers from your garden. The first and oldest method is to hang dry the flowers. It is also the least expensive method. The second method is to use a material called silica gel. This needs to be purchased at a craft store of flower shop. Before either method, the flowers need to be fresh and not wet.

To hang dry flowers, cut the stems to the desired length of the flowers you wish to dry. Remove most of the leaves and bunch like flowers together (i.e., roses with roses, lilies with lilies, etc.). Tie the bunch with string. Hang the flower bunches in a warm, dry, and dark place, such as an attic or an enclosed porch. The drying process will take a minimum of three weeks depending on the type of flower. After the third week, check daily to see if the flowers have dried. When dried in this manner, the flowers do lose some of their shape and color, but they are still pretty and usable. This is a fairly long process, which is why some people use the other method: silica gel.

The best way to dry flowers that retain their color is to use silica gel. Silica gel is not a gel at all, it is a soft, sandlike material. It can be purchased by the box or can at craft stores or florists. The gel absorbs the moisture from the flowers and gives them a crisp, dry, delicate feel. They do retain a lot of their color.

Using any air-tight container, fill it with silica gel halfway. Gently put the flower head into the gel. Be sure to completely cover the flower, especially between the petals. You can use your fingers (preferably while you're wearing gloves) or a small plastic spoon. Pour some additional silica gel over the flower to completely bury it.

The drying process with this method takes 3-4 days. Be sure to check daily after the third day. You do not want it to get over dried as it may make the flower break.

After the drying process is complete, you should store them in a dry, air-tight container. These dried flowers can be used in many different crafts. They can be attached to wreaths or gently glued onto invitations and cards. A special way to display your dried flowers is to mat and frame them.

 

Christine M. Flowers: And then there were four. . . (Philadelphia Daily News)
Christine Flowers says: Four Philadelphia police offers have been killed in a matter of months, a bloody trail from May to November.Even though each death is different, some brutal assassinations, others reckless accidents, the effect is the same: overwhelming grief, followed by uncontained anger.

Keith Urban brings flowers for Nicole Kidman everyday (New Kerala)
Melbourne, Nov 21 : Looks like Keith Urban's new single, 'Sweet Thing', is based on his own romantic self, for even after two years of marriage, the singer makes it a point to reach home by dinner and brings flowers for his wife Nicole Kidman.

QPR net Helguson as Flowers quits (BBC News)
Queens Park Rangers sign Bolton Wanderers striker Heidar Helguson on-loan as assistant manager Tim Flowers leaves the club.

Flowers Out Of QPR (Norwich City MAD)
Former Coventry City goalkeeper and Assistant Manager Tim Flowers has left Queens Park Rangers. The Kenilworth born keeper had been assistant manager at Loftus Road under first former City boss Iain Dowie and then caretaker Gareth Ainsworth.

Young Jewish-Bulgarians Offer Flowers to Cabinet as Sign of Gratitude (Novinite.com)
On Thursday young Bulgarians with Jewish background met with flowers the members of the Bulgarian Cabinet as they were gathering for their regular Ministries Council meeting.

Flowers Offended By Misheard Lyrics (Soundbuzz) (Yahoo!7 Music News)
Flowers Offended By Misheard Lyrics

Flowers raise funds for choir students (Lake County Journals)
GURNEE - Lake County florists pulled out all the stops in this year’s Choir Booster Holiday Flower Show on Oct. 30. During the event, local florists put together flower arrangements to make money for the Warren Township High School choirs.

Pine cone flowers are festive for fall, holidays (Belleville News-Democrat)
When your family is bored with nothing to do, send them to the yard to gather freshly fallen pine cones.

Flowers offended by misheard lyrics (world entertainment news via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News)
The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers is upset fans have been mocking the lyrics of his new single - because he laboured over the misheard line for weeks.

News of the Weird (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
Dutch designer Eric Klarenbeek, 29, has developed jewelry consisting of tiny crystals or flowers that hang directly from the eye via micro-thin medical wire attached to either prescription or blank contact lenses. In the light, they give the appearance of tears streaming down the cheek.

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