Dried Flowers

Long, sunny days in July provide perfect conditions for cultivating and harvesting dried flowers grown from seed in spring. Helichrysum, especially, requires a generous quantity sunshine and warmth for a successful crop of papery, crisp, glossy blooms on long stems. When cold, wet summers bring lack of sunshine and excess dampness, the outer petals of Helichrysum become covered in speckles of grey mould. At the first sign of this symptom, you then know that the flowers are most likely far too damaged for drying.

ARCADIAN ARCHIVES
Dried flowers
Long, sunny days in July provide perfect conditions for cultivating and harvesting dried flowers grown from seed in spring. Helichrysum, especially, requires a generous quantity sunshine and warmth for a successful crop of papery, crisp, glossy blooms on long stems. When cold, wet summers bring lack of sunshine and excess dampness, the outer petals of Helichrysum become covered in speckles of grey mould. At the first sign of this symptom, you then know that the flowers are most likely far too damaged for drying.
Seed of Helichrysum bracteatum monstrosum can be bought in separate colours from seed catalogues. This annual plant has been subjected to botanical name changes throughout the years but its common name of ‘straw flower’ remains consistent. Seed sown in the greenhouse in March produces young plants that are ready to be hardened-off in cold frames throughout April and the first half of May. As soon as the last frost of late spring has departed, they can then be planted out towards the end of May or the beginning of June. Helichrysum originates from the scrubby, sparse grasslands of Australia where it thrives in moist, well-drained soil and basks beneath endless blue skies. Shady conditions inhibit growth, so try to choose the warmest, sunniest site possible for young plants, taking care to keep them well watered until they are established. They can be grown in rows if they are to be used purely for cutting and drying. As ornamental plants, they look extremely attractive when left to mingle informally through mixed borders. For drying, they are best harvested in July before the flowers are fully open, but those that are left to mature will continue blooming throughout August, displaying their bright yellow centres and looking attractive until the end of September. When preparing flowers for drying, it is best to remove the foliage from the stems as soon as they are cut. It glides off easily when fresh and full of moisture, but if left for a few days if becomes a more time consuming job. The sticky foliage of Helichrysum has a distinctive, honey-scented aroma that lingers on your hands long after you have washed away the black residue that collects on your palms after stripping leaves from the stems. For dried flowers with a more delicate, refined appearance, Acroclinium is one of the prettiest. Also easily raised from seed and grown as an annual, it thrives in similar, open, sunny conditions. Small, papery flowers are displayed on 30 cm (12 in) slender stems and tend to be either pink or white, with yellow or sometimes black centres. Where flowers are being grown as a crop for drying, it is worth saving some space for a few rows of the ornamental grass, Lagurus ovatus, commonly known as ¢hare’s tail¢. When dried, the neat, oval seed heads on thin, wiry stems are the perfect partner for winter vases of both Helichrysum and Acroclinium.

ARCADIAN ARCHIVES

Dried flowers