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Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Garden Crafts: Pressing Flowers
Southern California’s wildflower prairies
are becoming rare due to urbanization
and other factors. Fortunately, native annual
wildflowers are easy to grow and seeds are readily available. Growing wildflowers in your garden provides
enjoyment now – and a source of garden craft and food materials for later. See
our blog posting on ‘Growing Annual Wildflowers’ (January 2013) for tips on
growing these lovely plants.
One of the easiest spring garden crafts is
pressing flowers. At this time of year,
annual wildflowers are at their peak in local gardens. What better time to preserve a little spring
beauty to enjoy throughout the year! Next
month (May 2013) we’ll discuss ways to use pressed flowers; this month we focus
on the actual mechanics of pressing flowers.
Many universities and natural history museums
have herbariums or collections of
dried plant specimens, usually documenting plants that are native to a
particular region. Herbarium specimens
are created by drying and flattening plants parts – even entire plants – in a
plant press. Once dried, specimens are
stored under cool, dry, bug-free conditions.
They survive in surprisingly good shape for many years; and are an
invaluable resource for scientists. You
can use the same methods to dry flowers from your own garden.
There are several ways to press
flowers. The key requirements are: 1)
the flowers are dried (often slowly) to a very dry state; 2) they are pressed
flat (by applying pressure). We prefer old-time
methods, but you can explore other techniques in the ‘Resources’ at the end of
this posting.
You may have pressed flowers between the
pages of a book – or under a stack of heavy books. This method works fine, but there’s a risk
of ruining the books in the process. So
unless the book(s) are no longer needed, you might want to consider using a plant press instead. Plant presses can be purchased at science/teacher
supply stores and craft stores. But they
are easy and inexpensive to make.
Making
a Plant Press
Every plant press has two sturdy, flat ‘press-boards’
that are used to apply pressure. You can
cut the boards from plywood or purchase two inexpensive, sturdy wood or plastic
cutting boards (see below – we chose plastic). The surface should be smooth on at least one
side – not textured or warped. If you want to press only flowers, a handy
size is about 6 inches (15 cm) by 12 inches (30 cm).
Next you’ll need a method to apply pressure
to the plant press. Many purchased flower
presses have a bolt with a wing nut through each corner; these can be tightened
to apply pressure. You can do equally well using four stout
cords, straps – even bungee cords – wrapped around the plant press (see below). Alternatively, you can just place several
heavy books or bricks (cinderblocks are great!) atop the press to apply
pressure. All you need is some way to
cinch down the press tightly – or weigh down the press-boards.
The plant press is filled with sheets of
paper, cardboard and newspaper (or blotter paper) which absorb water from the
pressed flowers (see photo, above). Once
again, readily available materials will do.
Sheets from an inexpensive 9 x 12 inch sketch pad can be folded in half
to make a set of 9 x 6 inch folios to hold
the plant materials. Sections of
newspaper, folded and cut to size, make dandy blotting papers to layer above
and below the folios. And pieces of
cardboard – either chipboard or corrugated – can be cut to size to provide
added stiffness.
Pressing Flowers
and Foliage
Use only plant material that is dry – wait for
the dew to dry before collecting. Begin
with relatively small and thin flowers until you gain some experience. You can collect only flowers or flowers with
some foliage – a 6-8 inch stem works well. You may want to include some additional
foliage to use in your dried floral crafts. We find it best to wait about 5
minutes after cutting before putting the plant material in the plant
press. The flowers/leaves will wilt just
slightly, making them easier to position.
Open the plant press and place a layer of cardboard
and then a layer of newspaper/blotter on top of the bottom press-board. Next place a folio sheet on the
newspaper. Open up the folio and arrange flowers and
foliage so they look attractive and natural.
Be sure that each flower has plenty of space (see above). Carefully close the folio, add a layer of
newspaper, then another folio, and so on.
If the flowers are very thin, you’ll only need one newspaper/blotter
layer for every 2-3 folios. Place a
layer of cardboard every inch to add stiffness.
Once all the flowers are in the press, add
a final layer of newspaper topped with cardboard and then the top
press-board. Cinch up the cords/straps or place
bricks/heavy books atop the press. Place
the press in a dry shady spot (indoors or out) to dry. Check the press in a day or two and tighten
the cords/straps if needed. Remember,
the plants materials will shrink as they dry – and it’s important to keep them
flat throughout the drying process.
After 4 days, open the press and check the
plant materials. If plants are thin and the
weather is hot/dry your plants may already be dry. If plants are still moist, replace the
newspaper blotters with dry ones, and close the press to continue drying. You can air-dry the wet blotters and re-use
them many times.
Once the flowers are completely dry, remove them from the plant press. They will be brittle, so store them in a safe,
dry place until you use them.
Resources
Please feel free to
add your comments, below. If you have
questions, please e- mail us at: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Plant of the Month (April) : Bird’s-eye (Tricolor) Gilia - Gilia tricolor
It’s April and many native plants are
blooming. Particularly lovely are the
annual wildflowers, which we’ve had to water several times this winter/spring
due to very dry conditions (1/2 the normal rainfall). Despite the dry weather, the Bird’s-eye Gilia,
Arroyo Lupine (Plant of the Month April 2012) and other wildflowers are putting
on quite a show for our April wildflower events!
Bird’s-eye Gilia is a member of the Phlox
Family (Polemoniaceae), which is relatively common in California. Like
most in this family, it has flowers in parts of five and a 3-chamber ovary and
seed capsule. Like other members of the family, Bird’s-eye
Gila is used regularly in gardens. And this
leads to one of the true puzzles regarding this species: is it native to Los
Angeles County and further south?
Bird’s-eye (Tricolor) Gilia is still common
along California’s north coast, Sierra Foothills and Central Valley. The earliest voucher records for Gilia tricolor in Los Angeles County come
from the early 1930’s (California Consortium of Herbaria). By comparison, records for Gilia angelensis, a similar species, are
numerous dating back to the 1880’s. So
is Gilia tricolor a Los Angeles
native or an escapee from early native plant gardens? We think the jury is still out – but urge viewers
more knowledgeable than us to weigh in.
At any rate, Gilia tricolor is
readily available from seed companies, while Gilia angelensis is not; we gardeners will have to content
ourselves with Gilia tricolor for the
time being.
Like most annual wildflowers, the size of
Bird’s-eye Gilia is strongly related to soil moisture. It can grow as short as 4-6 inches in a hot, dry
spring – or as tall as 2-3 feet in a well-watered garden. In the wilds – or if you sow seed directly into
the garden – Gilia tricolor can grow
densely packed. Like many of our annual
wildflowers, it doesn’t seem to mind the crowding; so you don’t need to thin
the seedlings. If you start Gilia tricolor in pots, space the plants
every 15-20 inches when you plant them out.
Then you can fully appreciate the foliage and flowers.
Gilia tricolor (Bird's-eye Gilia): grown in a pot to accent flowers and foliage |
Bird's-eye (Tricolor) Gilia in wildflower garden with gravel mulch |
The flowers are what make Bird’s-eye Gilia
so appealing. From a distance, the
plants appear covered in small white flowers (see above). At close range, you appreciate the complex color
scheme of these little flowers. Flowers
range from about ¼ to ½ inch in width and are solitary or in small, loose
clusters. The five petals are fused into
a trumpet-shaped corolla. The outer
lobes are white to pale blue or violet.
The corolla tube is yellow with distinctive blotches of dark purple (see
photo below). A finishing touch is
provided by the powder blue stamens. The
result is nothing short of extraordinary!
The common name – Bird’s-eye – refers to the flower’s coloration, which
is said to resemble a bird’s eye.
Gilia tricolor - Close-up view of flowers |
The old-fashioned flowers of the Bird’s-eye
Gila are numerous. On a warm spring day,
their aroma can be quite strong. To
some, the scent is reminiscent of chocolate; to others, it smells more musky
than chocolatey. Either way, the plants attract hummingbirds,
native bees and an occasional butterfly.
Bird’s-eye Gilia is easy to grow. In fact, it makes a good choice for a child’s
garden. Because birds love the seed, the
best bet is to sprinkle the seeds just before a good rainstorm. Rake the seeds in lightly, then keep the soil
moist during the growing season. In many
years, rain provides enough winter/spring water in our area. But don’t hesitate to water if needed.
Gilia tricolor ( Bird's-eye Gilia) - seedlings |
Seeds germinate in 2-3 weeks. The seedlings are distinctive looking (see
photo above). Once flowering slows
down, taper off the water to let the seeds develop. You can either collect the seeds (see picture
of the seed capsule, below) or let the plants re-seed naturally. For more on gardening with annual wildflowers
see our January 2013 posting.
Gilia tricolor (Bird's-eye Gilia) - dried seed capsule opening to reveal tan-colored seeds |
There are many ways to use Bird’s-eye Gilia
in the home garden. This is not a
persnickety plant; in fact, it thrives on neglect. It can be grown in full sun or
part-shade. So it’s a perfect choice for areas that are
difficult to access or water. Gilia
tricolor looks good when grown with other yellow, white or blue-purple native
annuals (see http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/south-bay-native-plants-annual-wildflower-311
for a list of annual wildflowers recommended for S. California gardens).
One of our favorite ways to grow wildflowers
is in pots, providing a splash of color on patios, porches and walkways. Bird’s-eye
Gilia is right at home in any flower bed and makes a good filler between shrubs
and under tall trees. Consider using it as a short-term ground cover
until larger plants grow to size. It
also makes a good pollinator plant around the edges of a vegetable garden or
home orchard.
Gilia tricolor in garden - they are the shorter plants in front |
Be sure to plant enough Bird’s-eye Gilia to
provide seeds for next year and flowers for drying. The flowers can be pressed or dried (see our
posting on pressed flowers later this month) and retain their colors well. The flowers also make nice cut flowers for
bouquets. However you use them, the flowers of Bird’s-eye
Gila are sure to capture your heart!
Questions? e-mail us at : mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
Please feel free to comment, below
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