Gardening Article

Preserving flowers
by Stephanie Brown

Flower Preservative with Borax

USES: Flowers preserved in this way make colorful "permanent" floral arrangements. Flowers picked at the peak of their bloom remain fresh looking indefinitely.

TO USE: Using the wire stems, make an attractive flower arrangement as you would a fresh-flower bouquet.

What you need:

What to do:
  1. Pick flowers at the peak of their bloom.
  2. Remove the stems.
  3. Make new stems with florist's wire.
  4. Run wire through the base of the flower and twist the two ends together.
  5. Line the coffee can with the plastic bag.
  6. Pour enough borax into the plastic bag to cover the bottom to a depth of one inch.
  7. Place flower face down in the borax.
  8. Pour about one inch of borax over the top of the flower.
  9. Add more flowers and borax until the container is full.
  10. Gather the top of the bag, squeezing out all the air inside it.
  11. Fasten shut with wire or string.
  12. Place lid on can and set aside in a dry place for at least four weeks.
  13. Remove flowers from borax and carefully brush away all borax with a soft brush.

Flower Preservative with Cornmeal

This is an excellent way to preserve corsages or flowers from someone special.

Try daisies, pansies, apple blossoms, asters, violets and other flowers with this method. They will stay summer fresh indefinitely.

What you need:

What to do:
  1. Thoroughly mix borax and cornmeal.
  2. Cover the bottom of the box with 3/4 of an inch of this mixture.
  3. Cut flower stems about one-inch long.
  4. Lay the flowers face down in this mixture.
  5. Spread the petals and leaves so that they lie as flat as possible. Do not place flowers too close together.
  6. Cover the flowers with 3/4 of an inch of the mixture.
  7. Place the lid on the box and keep at room temperature for three to four weeks.

(This article originated from http://www.parentsplace.com)