Dry Flowers: Summer's Not Over Until It's Over

September comes and the days are often hot and dry in the Northeast. There is the occasional drop in temperatures. The grass isn’t growing as fast, the flowers have begun to droop and go to seed. A tinge of sadness seems to hang by the garden gate.

Don’t give it up, not just yet. It’s the drying season. You can keep the cheerful blooms you loved so much in spring and summer by bringing them indoors and drying them.

Though drying has gone hi-tech, you don’t need fancy equipment if you’re just trying to get a little cheerfulness into your environment. Our forefathers have been drying things for about a thousand years or more. All you’ve got to do is tie a bundle and hang them upside down in a well-ventilated and dry area. The most important things about selecting plants for drying are:

Gathering materials: Select and cut the stems on a bright, dry and sunny day. Avoid picking the plant stems when they are wet with dew or rain. Make your selection when the plant is just short of full maturity, and when the flowers are near their most colorful point. It’s important to know your plants as the proper time for picking is different for each plant.

Remove all unnecessary leaves from the stem. Doing this will speed drying. You might leave a few leaves for the proper effect, but use discretion.

Shape the plant while it is fresh. At this point, it’s easier to bend the plant stem into the shape you desire. Once you have the plant stem and flower in the desired shape, you can tie them at the base and hang them upside down to dry.

The space you use for hanging plants should be warm and dry with good air circulation. Plants shouldn’t be exposed to direct sunlight as this could cause discoloration. You want to keep as much of the natural color as possible. The majority of plants