Dried Flowers
Dried flowers are a way to enjoy the continuous pres of your favourite flowers whether they arc in season or I and they also need no maintenance. Artificial flowers ,lit available these days but they do not give the feeling of and are expensive too. Drying flowers is not a difficult and can be done by following the instructions closely,Dried flowers can be used in different ways I’ll arranging in flower baskets, impression on canvas paintinu, decorating Ikebana style, for Christmas decorations, and (HI calendars, pictures, and table mats etc.
Dried flowers, grasses, ferns, leaves of thuja “1 asparagus can be used for ranking a lovely scenery or decorating any flat surface.
Precuations
Before drying the flowers, some precautions should taken. The flowers should be picked IS they reach peak bloom, If the flowers arc over matured before picking, the browning process will start and no amount of after Cllt’ would prevent this. Picking up flowers at the correct time is therefore, the first precaution,Successful drying only takes place where there h complete darkness. When dried under diffused light, lit,’ flowers lose most of their colour. When flowers are at a damp place or during rainy season, fungus quickly develops on them and they very often get spoiled.
MATERIALS RJEQUIRED
borax, silica, white sand, wooden boxes (45 ems. x ;j’) , I11s.), floristic wires (20 cms.), green butter paper, fixative, l.rushes, flower pots and cardboard sheets.
METHOD
The borax should be mixed with (cleaned and thoroughly washed) dried white sand in the proportion of 1:50 respectively. The proportion of the mixture can vary with the colour of Ilowers but in most cases this ratio is quite effective. The mixture should be placed in wooden boxes of 45 ems. x 45 «rns. size in 4 to 8 cms. thick layer to serve as a bed. Flowers should be placed facing towards the sand and care should I ie taken that there is a space of about II ems. in between I lowers. Their sterns must remain upright and the petals should he completely covered with a fresh layer of sand, Boxes should he placed in a dry and dark place for 20 to 30 (lays (depending upon the moisture content of the flowers). When the flowers have dried completely they can be removed from the box. These flowers should again be stored in a dry place for future floral arrangements. Silica gel or salycylic .icid can also be used instead of borax. Flowers dried by this method retain both form and colour. This method is velY effective for flowers having red, white and yellow colour such as houga invillca, pansy, candytuft, helichrysum, monoclinic etc. When the flowers have dried, paint the wires with green, golden or silver colour or wrap them in green butter paper to make them more attractive. The dried flowers can now be placed in any flower vase or basket for interior decoration.
The varieties of flowers which can be dried and preserved are acroclinium, aster, bougainvillea, calendula, candy tuft, cockscomb, coleus, antirrhinurn, larkspur, nigella, marigold, mirabilis, nemesia, pansy, stock, sunflower, roses, zinnia etc.