everlastings September 24, 2006
Posted by Sandy in a small garden in maine.trackback
Originally uploaded by tomygardenpath.
A few years ago, we bought my mother in law a hygrandea bush for her new house. This past week when we were visiting, the bush was covered with blooms. She wanted to share some of them with me, so that I could make a wreath, so I bought a bunch home.
I didn’t dry any flowers this year, except for a few bunches of lavender. In the past, my ceiling has been stung with all sorts of everlastings. Strawflowers, sea lavender, cotton lavender, helichrysum, globe amaranth, statice, sweet annie, and teasel are just a few of them. One year, I even grew eucalyptus from seed, but realized, after successfully getting it to grow, that I could not stand the fragrance in the house.
Most of them are easy to grow, and pretty to look at in the garden. You might want to give it a try. To dry, just hang the flowers, stems on, upside down out of the direct light.
My mother buys hydrangeas at the farmer’s market to dry every year, but this year, she’s planting her own in the yard. I’m excited to see her taking that next step. Oh, and on the hydrangeas, she usually just lets them dry in the vase they’ll stay in through winter. They seem to do just fine without having to be hung like other flowers.
Is sea lavender what is used so often as a filler in bouquets? I just *learned* that flower a few weeks ago when I found it growing in the salt marsh - very tiny and pretty.
Lené,
yes, that is what my mother in law did with hers. and it was fine.
Laura,
sea lavender is sometimes used, but more often regular statice or german statice.
I have seen sea lavender growing along the Back Bay trail in Portland, and down at Higgins Beach in Scarborough, in the marsh, near my friend’s cottage. I have to say it looked better than the sea lavender I grew from seed in my garden!
I just cut some hydrangeas this weekend. They are at that lovely dusky rose stage. I love hydrangeas and can’t wait until my shrubs are full grown.