Create an everlasting summer flower basket - Brief Article

Sunset, August, 2000 by Kaaren Graciano

* Strolling among your flower beds on a summer morning and admiring the collage of colors is one of gardening's greatest pleasures. Savor that moment throughout the year by preserving a basketful of your favorite summer blooms.

Simply gather small bunches of flowers over the summer, loosely bind a few stems together with plastic twist ties, and hang them upside down to dry somewhere out of the way. (I often have several bunches hanging from the cord of my blinds.) Thorough drying takes from one to three weeks, depending on the size of the flowers. When the stems feel dry and brittle, take down the bunches and carefully place them in paper bags. Put the bags in a dark, cool place until you've collected enough material for an arrangement.

Many flowers dry well. I've had success with baby's breath, bachelor's button, calendula, carnation, catananche, coreopsis, crocosmia, delphinium, foxglove, hydrangea, lavender (blooms and stems), love-in-a-mist, purple coneflower, roses, scabiosa, statice, sunflower, and yarrow. The foliage of dusty miller, ivy, and lamb's ears also dries nicely and contrasts well with the blooms.

Once you collect enough dried bunches, cut a piece of florist's foam to fit the base of a basket, then gently poke the dried and stiffened stems into the foam. Place the flowers close together to give the arrangement a rich, full look.