Things to Do with Flowers from Your Garden

There are many things you can do with the flowers from your garden so that you can enjoy them a little longer. Drying flowers is a wonderful way, and you can use your dried flowers in various arrangements. You can also eat some of your flowers as well! This article will explain the steps to both of those ideas!

To dry fresh flowers from your garden, you must first be sure to pick them after the morning dew has evaporated, usually after 11 a.m. Then bunch the flowers into small bouquets, and hang them upside down in a dry, well ventilated area, with little light. An attic, closet, shed or garage would work. If there's too much light, the colors will fade. To prevent flowers from losing their petal while they are drying, pick them before they are fully opened too. You also want to leave a sufficient space between the hanging bouquets.

You can replace brittle stems with metal florist wire. While the flowers is still fresh, thread some wire through the stem and the flower bloom. Then bend a small hook at the end, (the end with the flower bloom), and pull the wire downward into the bloom to conceal it. For fall foliage you can stabilize the colors of the leaves by ironing them with a moderately hot iron. Small leaves should be slipped between two pieces of newspaper, but bigger leaves can be ironed directly.

Old telephone books make great flower presses as well. Just put your blooms in some tissue paper, (to protect the blooms from any ink), and insert them between the pages of the telephone book. Place something heavy, such as weights or bricks on top of the book. Leave the flowers inside for about six weeks,m or until they are completely dried. Silica gel crystals can be used for drying flowers with fragile petals, or tufted petals, (such as carnations or roses). Place the flowers on a bed of the silica gel crystals in a tray with a lid. Then carefully sprinkle more on top until the flowers and stems are buried. You will have to check them daily to see if they have dried yet. The crystals will change from a blue to pink color during this process, which is perfectly normal, but in no way does it mean that the flowers are dry, so keep that in mind. To dry roses you can also do it in the oven. You will want to pick the roses when they are still in the bud stage. Pink and yellow roses are your best choice because they hold their color well. Red roses don't stay red, they turn almost black, or sometimes brown. White roses will turn brown, or dingy. After you pick the roses arrange them on a baking sheet in the oven on very low heat, about 200 degrees. Keep the oven door propped slightly open the entire time as well. Leave them in the oven for about 5 hours. Once you take that out, pull off the leaves and the thorns.

You can preserve the branches of foliage with glycerin, (which can be found at any drugstore). You want to cut these in mid season, (barberry, beech, oak magnolia work well). You have to crush the ends of the stems and place the branches in a jar filled with1 part glycerin, and 2 parts water. You should have enough of the mixture in there to submerge the stem up to the leaves. You will leave these in the glycerin ,mixture for three weeks until you can feel the glycerin on the leaves.

If you want to dry plants or flowers with heavy heads, (such as artichokes or thistle), you can make a rack out of chicken wire and a cardboard box. Tear the top flaps of of the cardboard box, and lay the chicken wire over the top of the box. Staple the chicken wire to the box. Then staple the chicken wire to the box so it stays in place. Now just insert the flower stalks in between the wire openings and allow them to dry for about a week.

Of course dried flower bouquets nd flowers don't last forever. They quickly become dusty and can't be easily cleaned. Before you pitch them, you can sort through your blooms and keep any that still look usable.

Drying flowers aren't the only thing your flowers can be used for. You can eat some of your flowers! You do have to be very careful though. Some are poisonous, the ones that come from the florist are treated with pesticides, and wild flowers found on the side of the road are tainted with car fumes. Your best bet is to grow your own edible flowers. Buy pesticide free seeds or seedlings, raise them organically, and to keep them pest free, only use water or a mixture of water and dish detergent to wash the pests away. You will want to pick your edible flowers just before you use them. Always rinse flowers gently with water and pat or air dry before using them. Be sure to inspect for insects at this time too. Before I go any further, here is a list of some edible blooms: bee balm, chives, day lily's, dianthus, hollyhocks, lavender, nasturtiums, pansies, roses, scented geraniums, , sunflowers, tulips, and violas. Zucchini and squash plant flowers are also edible. You can fry their flowers in batter, or just lightly sauté them. You can make flower fritters out of fruit tree blossoms, such as apple or cherry as well. Just dip them into your favorite fritter batter and deep fry until golden. To make candied flowers as dessert decorations, paint violas, pansies, or rose petals with a lightly beaten, frothy egg white. Sprinkle with superfine sugar, (not confectioners either). Let the dry on a baking sheet and store them in a tight lidded container. You can also mix edible flowers into cake batter, or cookie dough, top sorbet with them, or toss them in a salad! You can make flower ice cubes by freezing an ice cube tray half full. After the half full tray freezes, center the blooms very carefully on the frozen cubes. Drizzle each with a teaspoonful of water, again being very careful not to move the flowers. Refreeze. Then fill the tray completely and refreeze once more. Voilà, you have some beautiful flower ice cubes to float in a punch, or just use in you cup! Here is a list of just some of the flowers that you DO NOT want to consume: Azaleas, buttercups, clematis, daffodils, delphiniums, foxgloves, hydrangeas, irises, oleanders, sweet peas, and wisteria are just to name a few. Before you eat any flower, check to make sure that it is not poisonous!

Next time you are out in your garden and see a really beautiful bloom, why not try to dry it,. It's beauty will last a little longer for your viewing pleasure! And why not try growing some edible flowers for yourself as well? They make a beautiful edition to any plate, and friends and family will love them!