Things to do with fall flowers

Fall is a very flowery time. The gardens in our area are bright with marigolds, zinnias, dahlias, cone flowers, salvia, and chrysanthemums. My favorite fall wildflowers are tiny delicate asters (white, lavender, or deep purple) and goldenrod, which sometimes grows taller than I am and fills entire fields with gold-yellow feathers.

Knowing that winter promises a long frozen desert without any flowers at all, I always look for ways to save the flowers I love. Here are some ideas:

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Enjoy flowers inside

Cut some flowers and arrange them in a vase or jar to enjoy inside. To help them last longer, drop ¼ teaspoon of bleach in a quart of water. This will keep the water fresh and clear. (Have an adult help you when you use bleach.)

Or hold the flowers upside down and spray them with hairspray before you arrange them in a vase of water.

​Take photos and make drawings

A wonderful way to “keep” flowers is to take photos or make drawings of them. Take photos outside and also take photos of your arrangements when you bring them inside. Send your photos to friends and family with a text. (Your mom would die for a flower text from you!)

Some people believe that Goldenrod causes allergies, but that isn't true. You can enjoy it -- as I do!

          

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​Press flowers

I love to press flowers and leaves. Lay your flowers – flat and facedown – between layers of newspaper or another type of unglazed paper. Place the layers in a flower press or under a heavy object (or a pile of heavy books) to keep them flat. Let the flowers dry for two weeks. You can preserve flowers for years with this method. After you remove the flowers for display, keep them out of direct sunlight so they don't fade. Spraying the flowers with hairspray or clear floral spray will strengthen them.

Use pressed flowers to decorate bookmarks, cards, or note paper, or make a collage to frame. Just apply a little white glue to the back of a pressed flower to place it permanently.

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Dry flowers in kitty litter – or just dry them

The most common way to dry flowers or bouquets of flowers is to hang them upside down with a length of string in an airy space out of direct sunlight. I dry flowers and bunches of herbs in our garage. Within a few weeks, you’ll have beautiful dried flowers in faded “antique” colors.

You can also dry flowers in sand or kitty litter. Choose a flat container, add a layer of kitty litter, and arrange your flowers on the litter. Then cover the flowers completely with more kitty litter. Check your flowers after several weeks. Remove them when they are dried.

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I dry flowers by just dropping them into a big bowl.

​Or to complete the entire process in minutes, place one flower at a time in a microwavable bowl. Cover the flower with about four cups of kitty litter. Microwave for two to three minutes. Be careful! Wait for the bowl and litter to cool. Then remove the flower and carefully shake or brush off any bits of litter.
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The easiest possible way to dry flowers is just to put them in a safe place without water – in a dry vase or on a counter top. I’ve put flowers from special occasions in a large bowl for years, where they dry perfectly. There are flowers from proms and weddings, Mothers Days and birthdays, holidays, vacations, and also funerals. I add butterflies when I find one already dead.

Pounded flower prints are beautiful, but the fabric can't be washed.

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Japanese maple leaves and ferns are especially striking.

Pound flowers

It’s great fun to pound flowers. Place a piece of fabric or rough watercolor paper on a board. Put flower heads, leaves, and grasses face down in an arrangement that you like. Cover the flowers with several layers of paper towels. Then use a hammer to pound the flowers flat. When you remove the paper towels, you’ll see surprising colors (not always the color of your flowers) and a wonderful design.
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Note: Your designed fabric can’t be washed without ruining the design.

Push flowers into clay

​It’s fun to add a natural design to any clay project simply by pushing flowers, leaves, and grasses into the soft clay and then removing them. This is a great way to enhance a clay bowl or cup or even just a slab of clay. You can paint the clay too after pressing a design into your project.

This is the work of Dwo Wen Chen, Studio Potter at Three Wheel Studio.

Dwo Wen Chen presses natural materials into his clay vessels and paints them so beautifully.