Have had success with drying zinnias, shasta daisies, Queen Anne's lace and cone flowers in Borax as described in another post. (might find more information on the search). Morning glories might be too delicate but might be pretty as pressed flowers. (I press flowers by placing between paper toweling between pages of old books.) The calla lily would be interesting to try..Have tried tiger lilies, which shrink considerably but keep shape and darken somewhat in color. Sometimes, I also lay a tissue over the flowers before covering with the Borax to keep some of the weight off the flowers. I air dry lavender, larkspur, calendula, lirope, blue bedder salvia, Mexican sage, and other flowers that will not droop during the drying procedure. Put a rubber band around stems and hang upside down in a dark airy place until thoroughly dry. I have several large containers filled with flowers dried this year and am still harvesting..

I have never tried drying flowers and have just received some flowers from a friend's funeral and would very much like to preserve some - I would like to try drying a white rose or pressing one of them. It was whilst looking up instructions on drying flowers that made me register with gardenweb.

Many thanks

I lost where I posted this thread, was going nuts thinking I would never find it. Ugh! :)

Well, I gave the cornmeal/borax drying method a try. My dinnerplate yellow dahlias didn't hold up well, but my peachy colored ones that had firmer petals did beautifully! Yes there is a powder that stays on the petals, but the color that these ended up being is striking! A darker peach than the fresh plant, but beautful. Now what do I do with them? Will they last forever this way?

Oh, I also tried some Hosta flowers and they came out nicely! Just put some calla lilies in a week ago, so will have to wait a bit to see how they do.

Chey

Florists advise that dried flowers are good for about 6 months but mine stay usable until the following year when I can harvest more. In fact, I am working today with this summers harvest and still have more hanging from a chain in the garage (mexican sage, blue bedder salvia, gomphrenia and calendula) and am continuing with zinnias in the borax. I am combing the ones dried with the stems intact into containers. these include mexican sage, blue bedder salvia, lavender, jewel of opar, and gomphrenia. Have also combined some echinachea, queen anne's lace, and shasta daisies dried earlier in borax with stems intact. I also look for the clear glass containers with lids,at flea market stores. These, I fill with fragrant dried leaves of lavender and fragrant flowers such as the mexican sage. I place the dried pressed flowers around the inside of the glass, including pansies, cosmos, flax, also stemless zinnias and other colorful flowers. I also tie together a few stems of various flowers for springs to hang. Have also enjoyed using them on wreaths using the straw wreath bases covered with herb trimmings secured by floral pins. The flowers can be pinned on or glued on with white or tacky glue. The florist advised spraying the finished product with cheap hair spray to avoid shattering. the dried products are brittle and need to be handled carefully, but will stay beautiful season to season. Maybe you could try arranging your dahlias in a basket that could be hung from a wall or displayed on a surface. Have fun . Be sure to post how the calla lillies turn out. EP

i see i spelled combing and meant combining. hope it's not too confusing.

Thanks for the ideas! I checked the calla lilies out a fe days ago and put them back in the borax/cornmeal. They weren't even close to dry yet.

Yesterday I did an experiment with one of the dahlias. I put it into a plastic container, covered with cornmeal/borax and then put into the microwave for a minute or so. I did this before with the hosta flowers and then left them for several days and they came out fine. Well, not sure what I did wrong, but the borax/cornmeal formed a solid ball around my flowers! Chipping it off will only ruin the flower, so I put them away for now. I am hoping that it has something to do with moisture and will fix itself as the moisture goes away. Wishful thinking I think....

Chey

Sorry I don't know how to post links.. go to page 6 on this forum..open post Salt as a Dissicant by NewfiePaws.. open response by PamRitchie which leads to a link Drying Flowers and Things.. Good information..

I forgot that it could be brought back up by posting on the thread, so now it should appear just below ..

I tried some burgundy mums with short stems using the straight borax, face down on paper toweling, method. They came out about half the original size and a beautiful purple color. Will be very pretty mixed with brighter colors in the clear jar displays. EP

Update on Calla Lilies:
EP,

Took them out of the borax/cornmeal mixture last night, and then put them back in. At the base of the flower where it's the thickest, they just didn't seem dry to me. I'll wait another week (or if I can be extremely patient), 2 weeks before checking them again.

Chey

I have uncovered a market for dried hedge apples. The problem is I don't know how to dry them. I tried the oven but they got soft and turned browish. If you know how I would appreciate the help. They are retailing for $15.00 each. I can get $5.00 a piece for each one I can dry.

donnalynne, I have no experience with hedge apples but have seen them and feel that they would most likely need to be dried naturally like oranges or gourds. Read on another post that it might take up to 6 months for gourds. I have heard that hedge apples have insect repellent qualities. Do you know how the ones on the market would be used? Lots of folks around this area would probably love to be able to sell them at that price. Maybe putting some in a dry well ventilated area would work. Please give us an update. EP

Here is a sample of some of the borax dried flowers.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:658627}}