Lustre
Here are some inspiring ways to turn perennial flowers into precious mementos and beautiful dried bouquets to decorate your home
Create rustic-style bouquets and potpourris using dried botanicals
Flowering and non-flowering plants can retain their beauty and their charm as dried bouquets. You can show them off in vases or shape the dried plants into crowns or garlands to give your interiors a cosy and rustic look. Save the lovely blooms, dry them and transform them into potpourris of memories for your home.
PERFECT FRAME
A creative way to display dried flowers is to feature the loose petals and seeds in a frame, a vintage watch case or a locket.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: A sprig of coriander; seeds of violets in a small watch case; seeds of radish in a large watch case; dried poppy and its seeds are showcased within a round frame
LIGHTNESS OF BEING
The most common method for creating a dried bouquet is to air dry it for a few weeks. Remove any loose or damaged petals and leaves, secure the flowers tightly by the stems with a rubber band, then hang the bunch upside down in a dark and dry ar ea, away from direct sunlight. Perennial plants such as thistles work particularly well as dried bouquets. Pictured from left to right are the beautiful seed pods of the lathyrus (sweet pea), stalks of dried acanthus, the daucus carota (wild carrot), seeds of radish, the thistle-like teasel (also pictured on the left of this page) and willow r ose; on the chair are bines of dried hop.
CIRCLE OF LIFE
Collect an array of the same plant in dif ferent flowering stage and experiment with them. Sunfl owers with and without seeds can look as stunning; even the dried and curled leaves are wonderful to see.
BOTANICAL EXPERIMENT
Plants of varying heights, shapes and sizes make a beautiful tableau; display them in chemistry glassware for a modern, offbeat alternative to traditional vases.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ON THIS TABLE: 1. Dried hop bine 2. Dried lunaria annua, (also commonly known as the silver dollar for its translucent, coin-shaped seed pods) in a conical flask 3. Dried crocosmia (montbretia) in a Florence flask 4. Various seeds in a cylinder 5. Dried poppy seed bulbs in a conical flask 6. Dried hop cones in a Florence flask 7. Dried campion (silene maritma) in a Kjeldahl flask 8. Dried stalks of allium globemaster, an ornamental onion, in a conical flask 9. Dried hop cones in a test tube on a metal rack 10. Seeds of the Indian cress (tropaeolum majus) in a test tube
ETHEREAL BEAUTY
Add an air of whimsy to your interior with stalks of dandelions displayed in a glass bell; its fl uffy bristles can be showcased separately on a petri dish. On the right are pressed petals of the hydrangea in a glass frame.
Separate the petals and buds from the stalks to create potpourri to fragrance your home and as seasonal gifts. Experiment with a mix of dried plants, spices and your favourite scents to achieve an aromatic balance. To dry the loose petals and leaves, lay them on a flat surface such as on a table or a tray for a few weeks; make sure that these do not overlap.
LEFT TO RIGHT: 1,2. A branch of nicandra and its seeds and petals are displayed on the table and on a petri dish 3. A branch of the cardoon (cynara cardunculus), a perennial plant that’s similar to the artichoke and can grow up to 3 metres high 4. Faded flowers of the Echinacea purpurea, also known as the coneflower
FRAGILE THINGS
The hibiscus trionum, commonly called flowerof-an-hour, features large white flowers that last for just a day. After the flowering, these semi-opaque seed capsules appear. Capture a different side to this delicate flower by drying it, as pictured here.
FROZEN IN TIME
Air dry stalks of flowers and loose petals to a tissue-like crinkled texture, then secure the bunch with twine. Pictured here is a bunch of dried nicandra, from the nightshade family; it has beautiful purple-blue flowers and is a good choice for dry bouquets.
RUSTIC CROWN
Plants with thin stems may require wiring to keep its shape. Here, a crown made with thin wire is encircled with bryony (English mandrake), a climbing plant with tendrils and berries.