Specialty Gardening: Botanicals...Cut and dried!, 1 by BLOSSOMBUDDY

BLOSSOMBUDDY wrote:
What's your method!! Share AND SHOW your ideas on what you cut and dry from your garden!

I am going to start with horsetail reeds and head this thread flat out with a question -->

Does anyone have a good way to dry horsetail reeds?

I have been told, just stick them in a vase in an arrangement and let them (and the entire floral dry by just not adding water after a few days of enjoying them as fresh cuts.....) ...well, I did not have a floral to arrange and was just trying to dry the reeds it ended up, I did so with (ugh!) "browning" success....but in the past I have left floral arrangements in their vases or containers to go dry and well have had some great luck with especially daffodils. The daffs will turn to paper flowers and will make a lovely dried florals even after their freshness has been spent. Mums will too!

I have cut and dried most flowers by making small field bunches and hanging them upside-down with great success.

But anyway getting back to the dilema of the horsetails, I tried to dry mine just cut and left air drying, they lost their color, and wrinkled up a tad... they turned an olive brown and I was wondering if someone knew of a better way to dry them that helps them retain their lovely green color longer! Field bunching and hanging upsidedown for these, well, I have
not been successful. While the olive bown bamboo "fossil plant look" is cool, I was looking for a method to keep their greener color longer...so, ok, any advise here anyone?

(Oh, BTW, the horsetails have a silica resin in them which makes them toxic to pets or anyone consuming them, so eating them is NOT and option, keep your kids and pets safe from these! On drying some of mine, I discovered a white residue forming on some and well, at first I thought it was mold until I did a little bit more research on this plant! )

Here they are fresh cut....pretty green aren't they!?