Preserving Plant Materials for Winter Decoration

Many plant materials may be preserved in one of three ways: (not including the time-honoured system of pressing between absorbent paper under heavy books or other weights).

1. Air drying (the simplest way).

2. Glycerine solution.

3. Insertion in dried sand, silica gel or some other granular material.

1. Air drying is almost self explanatory, and can be further simplified by allowing the material to dry while it is still standing in the field or the garden. Under this heading come many grasses, milk-weed pods, verbascum, pine or tamarack cones and a host of other material. The so-called everlasting flowers are best cut just before they are fully mature and hung upside down in an airy place. Lunaria (Honesty, money-plant) maybe hung or left in the garden until autumn, and the pods have to be peeled carefully to avoid breaking the central transparent disc.

2. Glycerine solution is used mainly for leaves, though I have seen it recommended for larkspur. The solution recommended by authorities varies between one part glycerine to two parts water and equal amounts of glycerine and water. Branches are cut, the ends crushed as one would for placing in water, and inserted in the solution up to a depth or three inches or so. More solution is added as needed, and when little drops appear on the leaves, the branch is ready for use in a dried arrangement. Some leaves respond extremely well to this treatment. Lilac is particularly good; the area around the veins darkens more than the rest of the leaf, and the whole leaf achieves almost a velvety texture. Oregon Grape leaves take on a russet brown colour and some I preserved in September still look fresh and shiny six months later. There is a problem in preserving foliage which has turned colour (maple, notably). Since the reason for the colour change in that the leaves are being prevented from taking up much water, they are not interested in taking up a glycerine solution either. The way to deal with this is to soak the whole branch in a pan of the/solution, weighing down the branch, is some way to keep it covered by the solution. Unfortunately this is not very practicable for most of us as glycerine is expensive. Unfortunately it is not available in a commercial grade, and the most economical way to buy it is in bulk. Even then it is about a dollar and a half for 16 ounces, and that amount, even with an equal quantity of water will not cover a very big branch.

The time needed to preserve leaves in this solution is somewhere between three weeks and a month.

3. Sand-drying is recommended in many books, but personal experience has shown nothing but complete failure. It has been suggested that white sand is needed; certainly the brown variety has been disappointing. Silica gel is again expensive, and not easily available, but it seems to be the most, satisfactory material for this purpose.

A mixture of borax and corn meal (equal parts) with about a tablespoon of common salt added to each quart may be used, and has, been found fairly satisfactory for flattish flowers like rudbeckia, single dahlias and single asters. This has to be watched, and the temperature and humidity have a lot of bearing on the time needed. Three days, or even less in midsummer may be all that are needed; in the autumn, two or even three weeks. The procedure is to put a layer, one or two inches thick in a box; put in the flowers head down if they are the round types mentioned above, then carefully cover the whole flower head with the granules. Taking them out and looking at them is what makes them fall apart, or crease their petals; it is most difficult to get them back neatly for further treatment. On the other hand if they are left too long they disintegrate completely. One's own experience has pretty well convinced us that a small investment in glycerine and a package of Everlasting flower seeds is the simplest way of preparing for winter decoration.

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