Make Those Beauties Last

PRESERVING YOUR GARDEN’S BLOOMS

By Janice F. Booth

We’re all enjoying the glorious blooms of summer— blue and lavender multi-flora hydrangea, orange and yellow zinnias, creamy Magnolia blossoms, rosy cone flowers, and ubiquitous Black-Eyed Susans. Perhaps you even have floribunda or knock-out roses in coral, white, and pink. Soon we’ll all enjoy sedum, in their subtle hues, blue and purple asters, elegant, purple spiked Agastache, and delicate pink and white statice adding to our gardens’ lush color bouquet.

How about preserving these beauties so they can be enjoyed during winter? There are four simple and common methods of preserving blooms. You might try several approaches; see which method gives your flowers the look you’re after for dried arrangements. With a bit of planning and some simple materials, it’s possible to preserve some of those beauties, retaining most or all of their color and grace. Even if the first few attempts disappoint, don’t give up. You’ll soon figure out just the technique that works for you and your garden’s blooms.

The four techniques are: (1) oven drying, using a microwave or traditional oven, (2) air drying, (3) drying using sand or rice, and (4) pressed drying, using heavy books.

Before we get into the techniques for drying flowers, consider how you’ll collect your specimens . Think of the drying of blossoms as an ongoing project. As blooms reach their peak, cut and dry them. You might do a few flowers every week, or even more often when your garden is at its showiest.