This time of year we enjoying the changing of the fall leaves. There are still some summer blooms hanging on and the frost will surely take them down. There is a small window of opportunity right now, to take a look around your yard and save a few lasting blooms before they freeze. Drying something like a large green hydrangea is easy, they have already started the process themselves. When you touch the bloom you'll notice that they now have a more papery feel. First place them in a sink full of water to evacuate any bugs that are living inside the blooms. It just takes a few minutes as the bugs will come out looking for air. To dry the hydrangea, place them in a vase filled 1/3 of the way with water and keep them in a dry, warm, dark area. Watch as they dry up completely as the water dissipates. Give it a few weeks to dry thoroughly then you can arrange them is your favorite vase or basket. It's best to keep them away form small children and animals as they will break and shed easily if disturbed.
For other blooms, like roses the above method will not work. The need to be bunched together with a rubber band and hung upside down to keep their stems and heads from falling over. Again, in about two weeks time you should have a beautifully dried bunch of flowers you can arrange.
Happy Designing!
