Add a new dimension to gardening by planting a corner just for cutting and pressing flowers. What a luxury to have flowers readily available for arrangements and craft projects. Fill your garden with flowers and foliage that inspire you. If something doesn't perform well, there's always next year.
Cut Flowers
There are so many beautiful flowers, your choices are almost endless. Long-stemmed annuals and perennials work well. Sprinkle in a few plants with interesting foliage such as dusty miller, coleus, asparagus, or lamb's ear for texture and color. Herbs, such as lavender, add perfume to arrangements. Here are some suggestions for cutting flowers:
- Aster
- Baby's Breath
- Black-eyed Susan
- Bleeding Heart
- Carnation
- Coneflower
- Coral Bells
- Cosmos
- Dianthus
- Daisy
- Foxglove
- Geranium
- Marigold
- Nicotiana
- Petunia
- Sweet Pea
- Zinnia
Gather flowers in the evening or early in the morning just as dew is drying. Watch the flowers to see when they are most beautiful and cut only the most perfect blooms. Cut cluster flowers such as delphinium, lilac, and foxglove before all the flowers open. Cut sunflowers or zinnias when fully open.
Flowers look fresher and last longer in arrangements if placed immediately in a bucket of lukewarm water. Choose flowers with longer stems so they can be re-cut later. Use sharp shears and make cut above a bud to ensure more blooms. Keep flowers in water at room temperature for several hours or overnight.
Arrange cut flowers loosely allowing air to circulate. Begin by removing leaves that are under water level. Re-check the length and cut again under water. Cut stems at a slant so the maximum amount of water is taken in. Split woody stems with shears to allow for better water absorption. Add a preservative or a few drops of bleach, to the water. The arrangement will last longer if you cut stems and change water and preservative daily. Keep arrangements out of direct sunlight and store in a cool spot, such as a porch, overnight.
Pressed Flowers
Take the time to look a little closer at the flora that surrounds you. Pay close attention to detail and you will appreciate nature in a whole new way. After you have pressed flowers, you will never look at your garden in the same light. With a minimal investment, you can create framed art, greeting cards, candles, or lampshades. Consider creating a garden journal to document the ever-changing seasons.
Supply List:
Phone book or flower press
Tweezers
Needle
Rubber cement or clear silicone caulk
Sealant (library film or varnish)
Look for flowers in varying sizes, shapes, tints, veining, and textures. To create realistic pressings, press foliage too. You'll have the most success with gray and silver foliage. Keep in mind that succulent or fleshy flowers don't do well pressed. Thick centered flowers such as roses must be separated into parts before pressing. A general rule of thumb for pressing is if the flower can be easily compressed between your thumb and forefinger, then it should press well.
Gather flowers midday after the dew has evaporated. Pick flowers at their best when they have just opened and before they produce pollen. Don't overlook buds, leaves, stems, grasses, and seedheads. For example a geranium bud will press well and resemble a rose bud. Some suggestions for flowers, leaves, and herbs that are suitable for pressing are:
- Alyssum
- Artemisia
- Clematis
- Conifer
- Delphiniums
- Ferns
- Forget-me-nots
- Fuchsia
- Honeysuckle
- Hydrangeas
- Ivy
- Larkspur
- Lobelia
- Maple
- Oak
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Verbena
Since you are bound to have failures as well as successes, press more flowers than you think you'll need. The drier the plant, the better it will press. Place flowers face down in a phone book arranging stems in a pleasing way. Close and weight the book and leave undisturbed for six to eight weeks. Create a label with the type of flower, date pressed, and any field notes. At six weeks, check to see if the flowers are completely dry. They should be fairly rigid and slightly brittle. If not, press for another week or so. Be patient; don't rush the process.
Carefully remove pressed flowers and leaves from the telephone book with tweezers. Use tweezers and a needle to place the flowers. Then, get creative. Tack the flowers in place with rubber cement or clear silicone caulk. Remember to protect your creation with library film or a couple coats of varnish if the product is open to air. For framed projects there is no need to varnish.
If you find that flower pressing suits your fancy, consider purchasing a flower press or building your own. For more information on planting annuals and perennials, visit the Colorado State University Extension web site at www.ext.colostate.edu, or call your local Extension office.
For more information on Gardening, contact your
local Colorado State University Extension office.
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Updated Tuesday, November 27, 2007
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