The World of Cut Flowers

Often, when you dry flowers they lose their color. But if you want to enhance the colors of your dried flowers try using artist’s colors and follow our simple techniques.

For this you will need:

·        Permanent Green Light color

·        Permanent Rose color

·        Bright Red

·        Chinese White

·        A size # 2 pointed brush

·        An inexpensive palette

·        A medicine dropper to add small quantities of water

·        Liquid detergent added to some water to keep the paint from bleeding

Now squeeze a drop of paint that is half the size of a pea on the palette. Add drops of water and mix with a toothpick or your brush. Try the mixture on a petal. If it is too dark, add a bit of white paint. Or if it is too thick, add a few more drops of water.

When you are coloring ferns or small leaves work on an aluminum foil or waxed paper so it can collect extra paint, which can be used on another leaf. Leaves should be lightly brushed, and never saturated with paint. Leave it on the waxed paper or on a computer paper to dry. Do not use newsprint. Usually it will dry quickly enough so you can use it in your design.

Color washed material always lasts longer than those that are not touched up with color. If you can keep them away from direct sunlight the color will last up to six to eight years. Do not color wash very thin flowers because they might roll up and disintegrate.

 Many flowers actually do not need color washing because they have naturally lasting colors. Flowers like Delphinium and Larkspur can hold their colors for years if kept away from sunlight. Blue Scilla also holds its blue color. Forget-me-nots are occasionally pink when they are dried but they retain their soft blue as well. Christmas Cactus, Cyclamen, Marigold, Buttercups and Coreopsis retain their colors as well. But violets need color washing after they are dried. But most wild flowers are too thin to be successfully color washed.

Roses, on account of being bulky are difficult to dry. But follow these simple instructions to dry preserve them for a long time.

The first thing to do when pressing a rose is to prepare it for drying. Cut an inch or two from the stem while under water to give a fresh cut. Then put the rose in a vase with warm water and floral preservative. Use sugar if you do not have the preservative. Let the rose hydrate for an hour or two.

Once the rose is conditioned and has opened up, remove a few petals from the outside if they are not fresh enough. Then dip the flower head into a little vinegar to preserve the pink pigments in the flower and shake it off gently. Place the flower back into the preservative water till the petals dry. Take some pieces of paper and cut a hole in the middle, and then from the outer edge to the hole.

To press, place the rose facing upward. Lift the upper 2/3 of the petals and place a couple papers on the remaining 1/3 with the other petals sticking out from the hole in the paper. Put the middle third of the petals on the paper, so the sheet is between the petals all around. Place some more papers on those petals, with the top third of the petals sticking out of that hole. Lay down the remaining petals, sheet of regular paper, thick layer of paper towels and cardboard in order.

Now you have your rose still intact, but pressing in three layers. Use rubber bands to secure the whole bundle tightly, in a way that it’s pressing, but air can still circulate through the paper and cardboard. Put this into the refrigerator but do not seal it as it needs to breathe.

 Change your paper towels daily for a couple of days, always replacing in the refrigerator. The flower should be dry in two weeks. When completely dry, seal the pressed rose by spraying Krylon sealant with UV protection on both the back and front.

Dream Pillows are wonderful accessories if you are a fan of aromatherapy. Dried flowers combined with essential oils can make great dream pillows that give you a feel of super luxury. Now make your own dream pillows with our instructions and get sweet dreams every night!

To make this you will need:

·        A cotton or silk fabric approximately 5” by 5” or larger

·        Muslin bag for herbal inserts

·        5-7 drops of Essential oil (choose from yarrow, sandalwood, jasmine, geranium, basil, lavender, peppermint or rose)

·        Dried flowers and herbs (dried rose petals, dried chamomile and dried lavender)

·        2 tsp orris root fixative

·        Pillow stuffing

·        Velcro strips

·        Needle and thread

Cut your fabric into two pieces and sew them on the outsides together on the wrong side. Leave a side open.

Fill the muslin bag with the dried flowers and herbs, orris root and a few drops of the essential oil of your choice and tie with a string.

Place the muslin bag inside your pillow and lightly pack with stuffing. Leave some spaces for the air to circulate and release scents.

Add Velcro strips to the open end so that you can change the contents of the muslin bag when required or when you need to wash the pillow.

Insert pillow in a regular pillowcase, and your dream pillow is done. 

The recipe for making potpourri is pretty much the same, no matter what ingredients you use. Choose the fixative carefully, and make sure you season the potpourri well before placing it in your room. For an easy potpourri recipe, choose from the following:

·        Purple Haze

Ingredients:

1 cup dried Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) (purple)

7-8 drops Lavender essential/fragrance oil

2 tablespoons dried Orris Root

1/2 cup pink Carnation flower heads (Dianthus caryophyllus)

1/2 cup (bright yellow) Lemon Marigold flower heads (Tagetes tenifolia)

1/4 cup (pale green) Lamb’s Ears leaves (Stachys byzantina)

·        American Dream

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (blue) Delphinium blossoms (Delphinium x cultorum)

1 cup dried (red) Rose buds (red)

1/2 cup (white) Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)

1/2 cup (blue) Statice (Limonium sinuatum)

4-6 drops Rose essential/fragrance oil

2 tablespoons dried Orris Root

·        Citrus Delights

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons dried orris root

5 tablespoons Bearberry leaves (Arctostaphylos uva ursi)

6-8 drops lemon essential/fragrance oil

1/2 cup dried Yarrow blossoms (Achillea millefolium)

1/2 cup Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla)

1/4 cup dried Safflower flowers (Carthamus tinctorius L)

1/4 cup orange peels finely sliced & dried

·        Wildflowers

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dried Elder Flowers (Sambucus nigra)

2 tablespoons dried Orris Root

1/4 cup Chamomile flower heads (Anthemis nobilis L. or Matricaria chamomilla)

1/4 cup Bearberry leaves (Arctostaphylos uva ursi)

1/2 cup Calendula (Marigold) flower heads (Calendula Officinalis)

2 drops Lavender essential/fragrance oil

Originally people stored potpourri in closed ceramic containers near heat sources. They would open the lid of the container while they were using the room and the heat would make the perfume expand and fill the room. When the room was not in use the lid would cover the container again. But now the beauty of potpourri is as important as its charm and potpourris are therefore displayed in more varying containers. Learn how to make a quart of basic potpourri with our recipe.

 For this you will need:

·        6 cups of dried rose petals in red and pink

·        2 cups of dried miniature rosebuds

·        2 cups of dried lavender

·        1 cup of dried rose leaves

·        2 tablespoons of any fixative

·        15 drops of rose oil

Put the dried plant materials in a large glass bowl. Add a fixative such as cellulose, orris root powder, ground gum benzoin, fiberfix or oak moss. The ratio of tablespoons of fixatives to cups of dried material should be 1:2. Add the rose oil and mix well.

Place the mixture in a paper bag and use clothespins to seal the top. Turn the bag over to mix the fixative well. Season it away from the sunlight for four to six weeks, and shake the bag occasionally in between.

After the seasoning period, put out the potpourri in an open container and add some more essential oil if you feel the fragrance has reduced.

 Potpourri can be kept in lingerie and woolen wear drawers, or anywhere you store your clothes. They can also be used for display at dinner tables or in rooms where a light blush of fragrance would be welcomed.

Lavender is easy to use in dried floral crafts because it dries well. The best time to harvest lavender is when they have not fully opened yet, and after the morning dew has dried. Lavender is best dried in the air dry method by hanging it upside down in a dark well ventilated area till the buds have dried.

To make Lavender Balls or shapes you will need:

·        Styrofoam balls in any size and shape

·        Hot glue gun

·        Lavender buds

·        Essential oil in lavender

·        Ribbons

Spread glue on the Styrofoam ball or shape and roll over the lavender buds using a little pressure to cover the Styrofoam with the buds. Shake off the excess and let it dry overnight. This lavender shape can be later used in to make other crafts. Place them on lace or tulle or tie a ribbon on the top and place them it a bowl or basket. You can even use them as a wall hanging. To make the lavender fragrance more powerful, add a few drops of lavender oil to the buds.

To make lavender sticks you will need:

·        8-10 stems of lavender with the buds

·        A 6’ piece of tulle

·        A yard of ribbon per stick

Lay the stems of lavender on the tulle at the center with about ½ an inch remaining at the top of the tulle. Fold the tulle to cover the buds but leave out the stems and roll over to seal it. Tie the open bottom with a third of the ribbon and use the remaining two-thirds to wrap on the tulle and stems till the ribbon reaches its end. Glue the end. These sticks can be used on gifts or as favors.

To make a lavender eye pillow you will need:

·        Two pieces of fabric (muslin) approximately 4.5” by 9”

·        3 cups of flax seed

·        2-3 tbsp lavender buds, dried

·        Lavender essential oil

·        Thread

Mix the lavender oil, the dried lavender buds and the flax seeds well. Sew three sides of the fabric on the wrong side. Turn it to the right side up and fill in with the mixture you just made. Stuff in the mixture to a fairly pillow form. Stitch the remaining open side. Now put your pillow in a cotton pillowcase. The bag can be heated for 30 seconds in a microwave and be used over the eyes and under the neck.

To make a lavender and rose potpourri you will need:

·        2 cups of dried rose buds and petals

·        2 cups of dried lavender buds

·        3 tbsp of orris root chips or powder

·        10 drops of lavender essential oil

 Mix the orris root with the essential oil and keep aside for two to three days. Place the dried flowers in a jar and mix well with orris root and the essential oil. Keep aside for two weeks and shake well occasionally. After the flowers have seasoned well they can be used like any other potpourri

The beauty of a dried flower bouquet lasts longer than that of a fresh flower bouquet. Here’s how to make your own dried flower bouquet.

For this you will need:

·        Oasis floral foam

·        Assortment of dried flowers

·        Ferns

·        Seed heads

·        Twigs

·        Vase

·        Dried herbs

·        Wire cutters

·        Scissors

This would be a triangular arrangement with a flat back and focus on the front and sides. The arrangement shoud be about one and a half times the size of the vase/container.

Place long seed heads, twigs, ferns and strong spiked flowers at the back of the arrangement. In front of them, add filling material like hortensia, statice and tansy that reached to a half of the length of material at the back. Place the focal flowers in the front. These should be the main color of the arrangement. For example, use scabious, carline thistles, and edelweiss in blue-themed arrangements. Keep the shape of the arrangement balanced and in triangular shape by distributing the placement of flowers accordingly. You may add grasses and seed heads for accent. 

If required you may add wires to lengthen the stems etc. Remember to place more robust flowers towards the bottom of the arrangement and the lighter flowers towards the top. Try to maintain simple color schemes. Orange-yellow, blues, grays with blues look good. Pinks do not look great with fading greens and yellows.

You may also make a round or an oval arrangement. You will only have to add more fillers. Tie smaller flowers like rhodanthe and xeranthemum in small bunches before you insert them or they might look scattered and out of place.

If you are looking to enhance the look of a space with a little floral beauty, the following flower arrangement may just be what you need.

Buy Styrofoam to fit the area where you want to set up the arrangement. Cover the Styrofoam with a thin layer of glue or spray on some adhesive. Cover the entire surface with Spanish or spagnum moss. Stick some foliage directly on the Styrofoam to add greenery. Hot glue some dried flowers on the moss, keeping in mind that the arrangement will be viewed from the ceiling. Each bloom should therefore face straight up

sparing with the flowers first and then use fillers to reflect the look of a meadow. When you have finished the arrangement to the desired effect, hold it up to the corner you want, and drill three drywall screws through the Styrofoam base to attach it.

Dried flower swags look wonderful over doorways, and archways. They are wonderful additions to a room if you want to add a touch of subtle elegance and enhance the beauty and warmth of a room. Read our instructions to find out how you can make your own dried flower swags.

For this you will need:

·        A 10” wire wreath frame with soldered clamps

·        Wire cutters

·        About 100 green eucalyptus tips, sized between 6 and 16”

·        3 oz. Preserved baby’r breath, sized between 6 and 10”

·        3 oz. Preserved statice in lilac, white, purple and blue

·        Preserved lemon leaves

·        Wire

·        3 yards wire edged gold ribbon

·        3 yards wire edged ribbon in desired color

·        Gold glitter mist

·        Pale gold highlighter

Cut the wreath wire frame and bend it open to the shape of a swag and place it with the clamps down.

Make a bouquet for each of the 10 clamps. At the left outermost bouquet, use six of the longest pieces of eucalyptus tips so that the pieces are arched to the left. To this add a stem of baby’s breath, a stem of lemon leaves, another stem of baby’s breath, about six stems of varied colours of the statice and a last stem of baby’s breath along with medium length stems of eucalyptus. Repeat on the other side so everything arches to the right.

Make each pile into a bouquet and tie the end with a wire for ease in putting it in the frame. Twist the right outermost clamp so the bouquet arches to the right about an inch from the bottom and repeat this with the left side too.

Make another six bouquets of which three will be for either side of the swag. The flower arrangement would be exactly like the first bouquet you made, and use medium length flowers and foliage for these. Start attaching these to the clamps, working your way towards the center in a way that each bouquet overlaps the previous one. The center will have the bouquets with the shortest flowers on each last clamp on the side.

 Spray the swag with gold glitter mist and touch up the eucalyptus tips with pale gold highlights. Tie a four-loop bow with the ribbon and tie its center with wire. Attach it to the center of the swag and follow up with another smaller bow in gold and tuck in the ends through the foliage. Use glue if required to do this.

Wreaths look good any time of the year, no matter where you hang them. Dried flower wreaths are a great idea because they remain unchanged for years together and continue to add elegance and warmth to your rooms. Here you will learn how to make a dried flower wreath.

Before you begin make sure you have a collection of garden trimmings that have already been dried. Try oak, magnolia, bay laurel, asparagus fern and cushion bush. Cut to have six inch stems on your flowers. Good picks are lavender, sea foam statice, hydrangea and straw flowers.

You can either use a wire wreath frame or unbend a coat hanger to make a circle. Place a #24 floral wire (paddle wire) along the wire frame. Bundle several stems of the six-inch plant material and attach them on the wire frame with the cut ends facing the same direction. Put a few dried flowers on top of the bundle and place the whole bundle on the paddle wire on the wire frame.

Hold the bundle there and use the paddle wire to wrap around the bundle and the frame twice and then pull it tight to secure it. Do not snip the wire as you still will have to put the other bundles.

 Use another bundle to overlap the cut ends of the previous bundle and make sure that its stems face the same direction too. Secure it the same way as the first. Continue with other bunches till the whole frame is covered.  

Tuck the last bunch under the first one. Snip the extra wire after you are done. You can tie a pretty bow where you began and ended the bundles on the frame. Once it is all done, mist some hair spray on it to keep the bunches and flowers in place.