DEAR GARDENERS: FLOWERS..... FOREVER..
MARCH 2011
[Pictured is a dried rose]
Dear Gardeners:
Spring isn’t far away and you may even be seeing a few early spring blooms popping up as I did in my backyard. To my surprise the daffodils decided to bloom right at the end of February. Pretty they were with yellow blooms only to suffer another little cool snap as temperatures dropped after the last rain storm. Still I enjoyed seeing the potential oncoming of some spring weather.
The dried forever I’m writing about in this letter will give you a way you can save your precious bouquets by having a display of dried flowers. Think of this as a décor around your home. If you haven’t thrown away your roses from Valentine’s Day you can preserve them as dried flowers to keep forever. I have a few tips for you if you’d like to keep your roses dried for a while. You know there are other flowers you can choose to make a lovely bouquet of a dried forever. I listed a few choices below:
Everlastings
Baby’s Breath
Heather
Tree leaves [Oak, beech]
Wildflowers
Roses
If you’ve already tossed your roses, not to worry get more and while they still show a little vibrancy you’ll be able to use a simple technique to drying and using them in your own homemade dried bouquet. I got a little help from books on this one so I’m confessing I’m no expert but I have dried a few bouquets before. My mother used to dry her summer and spring blooms too and I remember seeing them in the winter months making a sunshine memory all year long. She taught me a little bit about it.
Start to dry by following these simple tips:
Plan your bouquet from several flowers:[You can choose from ones listed & there are others]
You’ll need to tie the bouquets together with string
Next hang the flowers upside down, or lay them in a cool dry place with a little bit of humidity although hanging them give best results.
Drying comes quickly so don’t let them hang more than 7 to 10 days
or they’ll become too dry and brittle and may break and crumble.
Follow next with the arrangement if you haven’t done before hanging use
your imagination to make them eye friendly.
Choose a nice vase or container that matches your room and start placing them in.
You can use a garden sponge to hold them in place [See your garden store]
Snip ends if required to suit the container size.
Place the display and enjoy.
If you don’t do so well the first time, keep trying! You can also separate dried leaves of roses and display them in bowls of like poppouri. Since these tips came from books, visit a garden web-site, store or your library. This is a wonderful hobby and even a profession for some gardeners. Who knows if you’re really good you may have found your muse. At any rate it’s something totally different for you to try and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to do it. Make it fun! Children love to interact in arranging a dried forever so it can be family time activity. By the way, if you have some questions about drying your own flowers, I think it’s possible I could answer them so don’t be shy to ask.
As always I tend to think too long of a letter loses attention. So while I’m safe I’m advised by my conscience to bring this letter to a close. Since I love writing to you I hate saying goodbye. Letters are special to me and when I send one or; write one I’ll always have a part of myself inside them. "It’s my little bit of forever" …So how about if I write down
“Toodles!”
TELL ME…WHAT'S GROWING IN YOUR GARDENS?
I’D SURELY LOVE TO KNOW....
HOW DOES YOUR GARDENS GROW?
Mine grows with Love
Forever,
MIISRAEL
Posted By: MIISRAEL Bride
Tuesday, March 1st 2011 at 12:33AM
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