Its time to pick those flowers for drying

By Melanie Mathieson
Gardening Guru

Now is the time to pick flowers, pods, and cones for fall and winter decorative projects. The late summer and early fall is prime time for hunting and gathering natural materials. You can use the dried elements in many of your decorating projects like, wreath-making, flower-embellished picture frames, basket arrangements, holiday tree ornaments, potpourri, topiaries and garlands.
To air dry flowers and pods, cut them at their peak of perfection (or just before), remove most of the foliage, bundle the stems with a rubber band or piece of raffia and hang upside down in a warm, dark place, with ample air circulation. You may want to pick some extras for drying just in case you have some that do not turn out. Seeds, pods and cones can be laid out on old window screens and stacked with spacers between them to allow for air circulation.
Keep old phone books or heavy books for pressing leaves, flowers and plants. Place items between the pages and layer with paper towels or newsprint. Place in a dark cool place with ample air circulation and check after a few days. Depending on the thickness of what you are drying, it could take up to two weeks until completely cured. Once dry store your items in a shoebox between layers of newspaper, cut to size, until ready to use. Another great item on the market today is the microwave flower press. If you plan to press a lot of flowers you will want to invest in one of these. There are a few different models on the market but they all seem to work the same way. In less than a minute, most items you press are completely dried and ready to use once they cool off. This item is a must if you press flowers because even flowers difficult to press, retain their colour after they are microwaved. After a little experimentation you will have beautifully pressed items in a matter of seconds.
Silica gel is another great way of preserving flowers and seed pods. You can buy silica gel, which is actually a crystal like substance at most department and craft stores. Place a layer of silica gel crystals in the bottom of a cardboard shoe box, place your items in and then completely cover with the remaining gel. Store in a cool dry place with adequate air flow until your items are completely dry. Silica gel can be recycled over and over again by drying it out in your oven at a very low heat, before returning to its original container. There are great instructions right on the package for using and caring for the gel. Store your dried items in shoe boxes, not airtight containers, with a little gel (or the packets you get from packaged items) in the bottom of the box to keep moisture to a minimum.
Now that you have a few hints on how to save and enjoy dried versions of the plants from your garden, here is a partial list of plants that you can find in our area and can be used in dried flower arrangements or other crafts:

- Amaranthus
- Artemesia flowers and leaves (wormwood, silver mound) also try Dusty Miller or herbal sage
- Catkins from birch and alder trees in the region – look like small pine cones hanging from the branches
- Cornflowers
- Chinese lanterns
- Evergreen cones
- Globe amaranth
- Gourds
- ground pine and horsetails – grow wild in region
- Hydrangeas - Mop-head varieties dry best, Don’t cut the blossoms until they toughen or thicken somewhat - just before they dry by themselves on the shrub.
- Iris pods
- Leaves of most deciduous trees and shrubs
- Lavender (English or French)
- Maple leaves and keys
- mosses, tree fungus and lichens gathered from the forest
- Money plant
- Mountain ash berries
- Ornamental grasses and their seed pods
- Oak tree acorns and leaves
- Oak and willow galls – they look like little pine cones attached to the branches.
- Pearly everlasting (wild along the roads in the region)
- Pomegranates (from the grocery store)
- Poppy pods of any variety except California poppies
- Queen Anne’s Lace – tame or wild
- Rosebuds and rose hips
- Sea lavender (limonium)
- Strawflowers
- Statice
- Tansy (wild along the roads in the region)
- Yarrow