The Flower Drying Game - Part 2 Sand or Glycerin
By admin | November 14, 2008
Part 1 in this 3-part series, Air, Sand, and Sources, detailed the basics of air drying and spoke briefly about drying more delicate flower specimens in clean, fine sand or a specialized material called silica gel. If you haven’t already, you might like to go back and browse Part 1 before you begin pouring sand into a box. Later, in Part 3, I’ll show you how you can make your own affordable flower-drying press. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and actually get the job done with sand and glycerin.
The Sand Process. By now you’ve probably run down a supply of suitable sand and a shoe box, so let’s dry just one flower to start with, and see how it turns out. A daisy, zinnia, carnation or small, compact chrysanthemum is safe for us beginners. Later on you’ll likely want to try other types, and perhaps dry several flowers in the same box.
Put an inch or so of sand in the bottom of a small box. Make a support for the flower head out of a piece of cardboard about the size of a recipe card folded in half the long way, with a half-inch “v” notch at the center of the fold. Place this folded card on the sand so it looks like a little army “pup” tent with its notch facing up.
Select a flower that is fresh, with short, tight petals and a stem that’ll fit in the box without bending. Lay the flower head on your notched card “tent” high enough so the bottom petals just clear the surface of the sand.
Now, with a paper cup, begin slowly and gently pouring sand all around the flower until it begins to be covered. No tamping. No shaking. And do it slowly so you don’t end up with a sand-squashed finished product. Continue pouring in sand gently, surrounding and covering the entire flower, stem and all.
You might need to use the wooden end of a small artist’s paintbrush to gently coax the petals into just the right natural position. So much for the tricky part.
Don’t put the cover on the box. Do carefully set it up on a closet shelf out of the way, especially if you have cats. (You cat owners know exactly what I mean.) Mark the box where the end of the stem is.
Drying time is usually between two and three weeks. It’s not wise to “peek” or otherwise disturb it during that time. Have you noticed that I continue to emphasize slowly and gently and carefully?
Pouring out the sand after drying is a very delicate operation, because your flower has now lost all of its flexibility, virtually all of its moisture, and has become quite fragile. Slowly tip the box away from the flower-end and pour the sand back into a clean pail. Gradually, the flower itself will be exposed and you may have to support it gently until it is completely free of the sand. Lightly tap away all the sand around the petals, and voil
Tags: air drying flowers, dried flowers, dry flowers, drying flowers, glycerin, glycerine, sand, silica gelPreserving Dried Flowers- Few Tips for Best Results
By admin | September 6, 2008
Even if carefully dried, flowers still aren’t eternal. Dried flowers are less subjected to damage than the living ones, but they are also vulnerable and can’t be preserved in ideal condition if you don’t take some pains looking after them.
To begin with, their colours tend to fade as time passes. Dried flowers are getting more and more pale, and you may need to put them to special attendance. Using aerosol paints and dyes, you may slightly tint the petals and stems of the dried flowers so that they retain their fresh looks longer.
The second threat comes from garden pests. Insects like beetles, silverfish, roaches and many more can easily cause great damage to your bunch, especially if you don’t take good care of the container where you keep the dried flowers. The container must be tightly closed so that insects don’t get there. Upon finding dried flowers, pests start gnawing the soft tissue in the centre of the plant and the dried flower gradually falls apart.
A way to prevent this is by checking occasionally the inner side of the box or container. If you find any insects, you had better take strict measures. Hordes of pests can be repulsed by sprinkling several naphthalene flakes in the inside of the box. Another way to get rid of insects is to spray stronger kinds of insecticides in the container. Anyway, precaution is best. When an area is infected, chemicals can do little about it. So, you’d better make sure that your container is tightly closed before you put the dried flowers in it. You need to regularly check the condition of your dried flowers to make sure no insects have broken through the siege.
Last thing you need to have in mind about dried flowers is that even with loving cares, they cannot last more than several years at best. But if you follow the tips, you may preserve the beautiful look of your dried flowers for a very long time.
Article by Robbie Darmona - an article writer who writes on a wide variety of subjects. For more information click Dried Flowers or Find a florist
Tags: buy dried flowers, dried flowers, dried flowers arrangament