The Flower Drying Game - Part 2: Sand or Glycerin?
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Article by: Fred Davis Part 1 in this 3-part series, Air, Sand, , Herb Farming Is A Profitable Business and Sources, detailed the basics of air , Lawn Edging drying and spoke briefly about drying more delicate flower , Rose Gardening specimens in clean, fine sand , 'Blushing Bride' Hydrangea (PPAF) 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 , 'Blushing Bride' Hydrangea (PPAF) 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 , Making a New Lawn From Seed or Sod and glycerin. The Sand , Double Your Crops Process. By now you've probably run down a supply of suitable sand , Using Push Reel Mowers and a shoe box, so let's dry just one flower , Gift Ideas for Bird Lovers to start with, and see how it turns out. A daisy, zinnia, carnation or small, compact chrysanthemum is safe , Garlic: The Stinking Rose for us beginners. Later on you'll likely want to try other types, and perhaps dry several flowers , Garden Swing for Heart and Soul in the same box. Put an inch or so of sand , Garden Decor -- It Is More Than Just Decorations in the bottom of a small box. Make a support for the flower , Grow Herbs in your Garden for Pleasure and Profit 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 , How Bat Houses Can Improve Your Backyard Experience this folded card on the sand , Planting Around Tree Roots so it looks like a little army "pup" tent with its notch facing up. Select a flower , Tulip Bulbs - Fall is the Time to Prepare the Perfect Spring Garden that is fresh, with short, tight petals and a stem that'll fit in the box without bending. Lay the flower , Using Push Reel Mowers head on your notched card "tent" high enough so the bottom petals just clear the surface of the sand. , Grow Herbs in your Garden for Pleasure and Profit Now, with a paper cup, begin slowly and gently pouring sand , Winterizing Your Roses all around the flower , How Bat Houses Can Improve Your Backyard Experience 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. , Making a New Lawn From Seed or Sod Continue pouring in sand , Flower Gardens gently, surrounding and covering the entire flower, , Fabric Hammocks stem and all. You might need to use the wooden , Garden Decor -- It Is More Than Just Decorations end of a small artist's paintbrush to gently coax the petals into just the right natural , Garden Swing for Heart and Soul 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 , Waterfall Ponds after drying is a very delicate operation, because your flower , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 18) Gray Mould has now lost all of its flexibility, virtually all of its moisture, , House Name Plates and has become quite fragile. Slowly tip , Recipes for Concrete and Hypertufa the box away from the flower-end and pour the sand , Recipes for Concrete and Hypertufa back into a clean pail. Gradually, the flower , Lawn Edging itself will be exposed and you may have to support it gently until it is completely free of the sand. , Grow Herbs in your Garden for Pleasure and Profit Lightly tap away all the sand , Natural Algae Fighters That Work around the petals, and voilá, a perfect specimen! Well, maybe. If it didn't come out as well as you'd like, remember that the world is full of flowers, , Orchids Are One Of Nature's Most Beautiful s and we all get better with time and patience. So keep trying! The rewards are a beautifully preserved flower , s and Butterflies, the Perfect Combination! or arrangement that's sure to please. Preserving with Glycerin. Recently, a visitor to our web , Landscape Lighting site sent an email asking about using glycerin as part of the process of "drying" flowers. , Natural Algae Fighters That Work I'm afraid my response wasn't very satisfying, but since then I've come to better appreciate at least one method not previously considered"”that of using this easily-obtainable solution to significantly improve flower-preserving results, particularly foliage. Glycerin, a component of many skin-softening preparations, actually absorbs into the cells of plant"”stem, leaf and, to a lesser extent, flower , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 18) Gray Mould parts"”replacing water. , An Introduction To Vinyl Fences Then, after "drying" in the conventional way, this glycerin remains in plant , Grow Herbs in your Garden for Pleasure and Profit tissues to give them a soft, natural , Tulip Bulbs - Fall is the Time to Prepare the Perfect Spring Flower Garden feel and appearance. While flower , Tillandsia "Airplants" - Don't Plant These Plants! color is often dulled, petals and leaves normally remain pliable, oftentimes with an attractive, semi-glossy "glow." Particularly useful for ordinarily tough, woody foliage like eucalyptus, beech, boxwood and vining ivy, glycerin can also be utilized to good effect on practically any attractive foliage commonly used in dried arrangements, swags, wreaths or foliar table decorations. Two methods are recommended: systemic"”where freshly-cut stems are placed in a solution of one-part glycerin and three-parts water"”very much like stems or flowers , An Introduction To Vinyl Fences in a vase; or by total immersion of similarly fresh stems in a slightly stronger solution: one-part glycerin and two-parts water. , Lawn Edging In both methods, the solution"”at least to start with"”is warmed to 160- to 180-degrees (F) for better mixing, uptake and penetration of many plant's wax-like coating (cuticle). Systemic Method: First, prepare the solution (1 glycerin and 3 water), and heat , Enhance Your Walk-Through Garden with Wind Chimes as stated above and pour into a suitable container like a mason jar or large-mouth vase. Next, using a hammer or similar tool, , Herb Farming Is A Profitable Business lightly "crush" the lower one- or two-inches of stem to facilitate absorption. No need to pound it into oblivion. Immediately insert stems into your heated mixture to a depth of at least three inches. Watch the solution level and replace any amount drawn up by the plants , Flowers and Butterflies, the Perfect Combination! so a minimum of three-inches of depth are constantly maintained. The length of time needed for glycerin to completely replace the water , Types Of Orchids varies with temperature, , Garlic: The Stinking Rose length of stem and density of plant , An Introduction To Vinyl Fences tissues"”from ten to 14 days, to as much as five or six weeks for especially tough types like magnolia, lemon and aspidistra. If the tips , Reasons to Garden Organically of leaves wilt or droop shortly after stems are removed from the solution, either re-crush and return to the glycerin until wilting is no longer an issue or simply hang the stems upside-down for a few days to allow absorbed glycerin to "flow" into the tips. , How to Grow Bananas (Remember Newton's experiment with gravity?) Immersion using a stronger solution will give similar end results but enough volume is required to totally submerge all parts of the stems and leaves beneath the surface. The process is completely uncomplicated: lay stems or individual leaves in a container (like a Pyrex or glass , Hummingbird Migration baking pan) and hold them down with something like a plate or saucer. Pour in 1:2 solution until all parts are covered and let stand for five to seven days or until foliage color , Want Curb Appeal - Play Dress-up has uniformly darkened. Remove and blot dry using paper towels or a dish cloth and either hang or spread out to dry. Actual flower , Landscape Lighting petals will likely lose most, if not all, of their original color. , Companion Planting I've heard"”though I've not confirmed"”that previously-dried flowers , Choosing Fish for the Garden Pond such as hydrangea can be very lightly misted with 1:2 glycerin and allowed to air-dry. . .and, while colors , Types Of Orchids or hues may be darkened, petals are supposed to be less brittle and less subject to damage. Perhaps one of our experienced readers will either confirm or refute this claim. Here are a few tips , Natural Algae Fighters That Work to help insure satisfactory results:
Finally, most drugstores and pharmacies sell Glycerin, USP, in pint bottles at (more-or-less) reasonable prices. I'd stay away from the tiny 2-ounce bottles packaged for small-quantity customers at chain or supermarket drug stores. They are way over-priced. Ask your local , Landscaping Ideas and Landscaping Design pharmacist for the pint size. Part 3 in this 3-part series will provide all the details (and a link to view pictures) of an affordable flower , Hummingbird Migration press that you can put together"”yourself"”right in your own home. , Gardening Tips for Early - Mid July Bulk glycerin is available from CraftLobby of Memphis, TN: http://www.craftlobby.com/glycerin998oz.html, or call , Flower Gardens them at 1-877-889-7140 View the list of Fred's other articles at: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Fred_Davis Fred Davis is a Master Gardener, Master Composter, , Landscape Lighting lecturer, and long-time nurseryman. He and his wife, Linda, own and operate a popular perennial , Tillandsia "Airplants" - Don't Plant These Plants! nursery in Palermo, Maine, and maintain a no-frills gardening , Don't Treat Your Soil Like Dirt information website at: http://www.HillGardens.com/ where you'll find answers to your gardening , Home and Garden Decor questions. |
  
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