Your garden is beautiful, isn't it? Do not be modest and prolong the pleasure beyond flowering. Dry your most beautiful flowers to compose splendid bouquets or even make a herbarium! This fun activity for all ages will make lovely homemade creations.
How to dry your flowers?
The Harvest
Head to the garden or the forest to harvest your favorite flowers:roses, lilacs, grasses, do you want some, here you go. Gently cut the flower with secateurs, sparing the stem. When picking, be sure to leave protected plant species such as the maritime iris or the edelweiss.
Drying
You will need newspaper and a heavy weight to flatten the flowers. Do you have an encyclopedia? She will do the job very well! Place each of your finds between two sheets of newspaper and place the encyclopedia on this " millefeuille ". Let them flatten for three weeks.
If you want bouquets of dried flowers that are round and thick, tie the harvested flowers with a thick string. Hang them upside down in a dry, dark place to retain the original colors. Wait a few days or even a few weeks depending on the species.
Decorate your tables
Fill small glass jars with petals of dried flowers, and arrange them on the table of your guests, or make a huge centerpiece with dried flowers for a chic and romantic decor.
Making a herbarium:how to proceed?
No need to be a botanist to create a magnificent herbarium. Here are the tools needed to design a 100% homemade herbarium:
Now is the time to let your imagination run wild. If you do it with children, know that creating a herbarium is ideal for understanding the plant world that surrounds them while having fun. If you don't know what to do to keep your little ones busy this weekend, this is a very good option!
Herbarium in alphabetical order or by date of collection
Ask them to arrange the flowers alphabetically, like a dictionary, or in chronological order. Great for working on French and maths!
Herbarium by species for little scientists
Perennials, climbers, annuals, drooping, spring or autumn flowers… Compose a herbarium which, in addition to being magnificent, will teach your budding botanist to recognize the common characteristics of a species.
Colour Herbarium for Artists
Bring poetry into your creation by arranging the flowers by color, from the lightest to the darkest, for a range of the most original colors.
Creating a story with dried flowers
What if you made a herbarium for the evening story? Invent a tale full of wonders and adventures, transcribe it by hand and illustrate it with dried flowers. A great way to accompany your toddler to dreamland.
The important thing here is to have fun. Glue your dried flowers and add a nice and original little note (name of the species, date of collection, funny anecdote, etc.).
Flowers best suited for drying
Although all flowers can be dried, give preference to varieties with strong stems that hold better, such as hydrangeas, roses, baby's breath, pope's money, peonies, eucalyptus, wheat, blue thistle, dahlias, yarrows.
Are you going picking? Applications to know
Discover all the secrets of the flora during your walks thanks to:
Drying your flowers to make bouquets or make a herbarium has (re)become super trendy. With summer coming, its fragrant and colorful flowers, you have enough to make surprising homemade herbaria.
