Day 17 - Botanical Garden and Drying Flowers

Spring, my favorite season of the year! I don’t handle heat so well and the cold snowy weather of winter usually keeps me locked inside, so now that the weather is nice and moderate, I love taking trips outside. This year LeeAnn is enthralled by all of the flowers in bloom. Therefore I decided to take her to the nearest botanical gardens and let her really appreciate the spring blooms. While there we picked up any fallen flowers to take home for our craft.

The use of herbs and the publication of manuals by herbalist motivated the founding of botanical gardens in Italy in the 1500s. They were places of learning and study for students of medicine who needed to know how to not only use the plants but grow them as well[1]. By the 1600’s there were botanical gardens throughout Europe.

We picked up my sister and her children on our way to Baltimore to visit the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Baltimore[2] next to the Zoo. For those of you who live near by but haven’t gone, you should really check it out. It takes about an hour to go through and see everything, but it’s a lovely place to just sit and enjoy. They have plants from every where and it cost nothing to get in. They do accept donations, $5 is recommended.

The kids loved it. We had fun looking at the plants and hunting for fallen blossoms (WE PICKED NOTHING!). We fed the fish and talk to the artist that were painting in the orchid room. When LeeAnn and I got home we used Silica beads to dry are flowers. Now we have a lovely collection of dry flowers for future crafts!

This project was actually very short, but the collection process was the truly fun part. Even if you just go on a nature walk it is enjoyable. We used the flowers from the botanical garden as well as from our own garden. LeeAnn loves to pick flowers, and it’s nice to have blooms she can keep forever.

How to Dry Flowers with Silica Beads

Supplies

Silica Beads

Flowers

Glass Bowl

Microwave

Storage dish

Paper clip

Instructions

 - Fill glass bowl with shallow layer of silica beads.

 - Arrange flowers in bowl; pour over remaining silica to cover. Make sure flowers are positioned as you want them dried.

 - Follow directions on package to dry. Usually microwave for approximately 1 ½ to 2 mins and let silica cool completely. Carefully uncover the flowers and clean of clinging beads; I used the paper clip for this.

 - If not completely dry microwave for longer in 30 – 60 sec increments.

 

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[1] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/75020/botanical-garden/771/History

[2] http://www.baltimoreconservatory.org/