Summer colors brighten indoors

By Kathy Hatfield
Gardening Columnist

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As the gardening season quickly approaches, many of us are busy planning our best garden ever for this year. If you're considering a flower garden, you're probably thinking of ways to extend the beauty of the growing season into the colder months.

Just as canning and freezing produce preserves some of the garden-fresh taste of summer, by drying flowers, it is possible to enjoy the colors of summer long after Jack Frost has visited. Many flowers will retain their color if picked early in the day at peak bloom and dried with the appropriate method.

The length of time needed for drying varies with the weather, the type of flowers and the drying method, and times can range anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. One advantage of living in a dry climate is that the flowers are not likely to mold or mildew as they dry.

Probably the oldest, as well as the easiest and least expensive method of drying flowers, is air-drying. Fasten a few stems together with a rubber band, which will continue to hold them tightly together as the flowers dry and shrink. Hang them upside-down in a well-ventilated room where bright light will not fade the flowers and far enough apart that they will not get tangled together as they dry.

Glycerin

Flowers that become brittle when air-dried may be preserved with glycerin. Glycerin is a thick syrupy liquid used in hand lotions. In flower drying, glycerin replaces water in the plant; the plants remain soft and supple, more like their fresh state.

To preserve flowers with glycerin, set them in a bucket or vase containing a mixture of one part glycerin to two parts of warm water, about 2 to 3 inches deep. When the flowers have absorbed the glycerin, remove them and hang them upside down to finish drying. This method generally changes the color of the flowers, making them less bright, but it also gives some flowers and grasses a silken sheen.

Silica gel

Fragile blossoms, or those with a lot of moisture in them, are best preserved with a desiccant, such as silica gel. Though silica gel is expensive, it can be re-used. As silica gel absorbs moisture, tiny blue indicator grains turn pink. They will turn back to blue again after drying the material in the oven.

Remove the stems from the flowers, and then place the flowers on a layer of silica gel in a box or other flat container. The flowers can be placed face up or face down. The important detail is to completely cover all parts of the flower with the silica gel. Cover the container with a tight-fitting lid and leave undisturbed for several days before checking the flowers for dryness. When the flowers are dry, gently remove them from the silica gel and brush off any excess with a soft paintbrush. Detailed instructions are usually included with flower drying kits that can be purchased at craft stores.

Using a microwave in combination with silica gel produces interesting, if not always desirable, results. The flowers retain their color quite well. Roses, carnations, pansies, peonies and tulips dry well this way. Prepare the flowers using silica gel as described above, and then microwave them. You'll have to experiment with the time and power settings for your microwave and each type of flower.

Among my favorite drought-tolerant flowers suitable for drying are the following:

• Achillea spp. (yarrow) - pick when half the flowers are open, then air-dry
• Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) - use the dried seedpods, spray with artist's fixative or hair spray to keep fluffy seeds from escaping
• Catanache caerulea (cupid's dart) - air-dry
• Centaurea spp. (knapweed) - deadhead often and pick flowers for drying when they are just open
• Dianthus spp. (pinks) - silica gel
• Echinops ritro (globe thistle) - use the dried seed heads
• Eryngium spp. (sea holly) - air-dry
• Gaillardia spp. (blanket flower) - silica gel
• Gypsophila paniculata (baby's breath) - air-dry
• Helichrysum spp. (strawflower, everlasting) - air-dry
• Limonium (sea lavender) - air-dry
• Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' (switch grass) - air-dry or leave plant over winter to dry
• Scabiosa graminifolia (pincushion flower) - air-dry
• Sedum 'Autumn Joy' - air-dry after florets turn rust color
• Solidago spp. (goldenrod) - cut early before the seeds develop, then air-dry

Almost any flower can be preserved by one or more of these methods. Experimenting to find which one works best is half the fun. E-mail me with your gardening questions at ocwildflowers@frii.com.

Gardening columnist Kathy Hatfield grows flowers and vegetables north of Wellington. She has completed the Rocky Mountain Gardening certificate from the Denver Botanic Gardens. The owner of Owl Canyon Wildflowers, she also specialize in drought-tolerant flower gardens and container gardens.