Have you ever thought of planting flowers that will supply a profusion of bloom for winter as well as summer?
It’s easy – if you choose the kinds of flowers that can be dried successfully. Of course, not all of them dry well, but a wealth of material that can be just as attractive when dried as it is when fresh.
Double Duty Flowers
Many of these double-duty flowers will add a new note to your garden (half the fun of gardening is trying new things); others are old favorites. As each plant reaches its peak of bloom, pick and dry some of the flowers for winter use.
You’ll be surprised at the quantity of material you’ll have accumulated for dried bouquets by the time frost overtakes your garden. Then you can make colorful bouquets that will last all winter to remind you of the golden summer days when the flowers were in bloom.
Limonium Sinuatum
Annual statice, Limonium sinuatum, is one of the best flowers for drying and just as lovely in fresh bouquets.
Try growing it lavishly as a bedding plant as it is used in the fabulous gardens of the Alhambra Palace in Spain, much as petunias are used here.
Art Shades
From a flat rosette of leaves, numerous 2-foot spikes emerge. These are tipped with clusters of small flowers which come in deep blue, lavender, mauve, salmon, pink, yellow, and white.
If you don’t want to buy specific colors, some seedsmen offer mixed colors in what they call Art Shades.
Statice
Statice should be started as early as possible—in a cold frame in March or outdoors in May. Use a little care in planting for the seeds to come in prickly clusters of flowers which must be pulled apart and planted separately.
I start seeds of all kinds in pots of vermiculite which are watered and covered with glass and a piece of newspaper. These are removed as soon as seeds germinate.
When the second set of leaves appears, seedlings are transplanted to a flat and later moved to the garden.
Like most flowering plants, statice needs full sun. However, one of the best things about it is that it continues to send up new spikes all summer and flowers long after frost has taken marigolds, zinnias, and other tender plants. Once you try statice, I feel sure it will always rate a place in your garden.
Perennial Statice
The perennial statice, (Armeria pseudarmeria), bears clouds of tiny lavender flowers on much-branched stems which emerge from flat, leathery leaves.
It is a beautiful plant about 1 ½’ feet tall but not a perpetual bloomer like the annual variety. Like most perennials, it does not bloom from seed the first year.
Larkspur
Larkspur, a favorite annual in many gardens, also plays a dual role. Strangely enough, the flowers shatter somewhat when used in fresh bouquets, and yet, when dried, they cling to the stem very well.
Larkspur dries wonderfully well and is available in both branching and upright varieties. The colors are rose, pink, white, sky blue, lavender, and deep blue.
Larkspur seeds may be sown on bare ground in late fall or early spring. If sown in the spring, germination will be hastened if seeds are placed in the ice box for a few days before planting.
Delphinium
Delphinium, in its many variations, is an outstanding flower, fresh or dried. A wide range of colors, from white through pale lavender to purple and blue, is available in the magnificent Pacific Hybrid strain.
More adaptable to the average garden are Belladonna Improved (light blue) and Bellamosum Improved (deep blue). These varieties do not grow as tall as the Pacific Hybrids and usually furnish more spikes for cutting.
Celosia
Few flowers are easier to grow or make a more spectacular display than cockscomb (celosia). The ostrich-plume sorts, of which Pride of Cattle Gould is best, produce ostrich-like plumes in tints of yellow, orange, and red.
Plants are compact and grow 2’ to 3’ feet tall. The spikes combine beautifully in arrangements with zinnias and marigolds, which bloom at the same time.
Gilbert Hybrid Cockscomb
Everyone who sees the lovely Gilbert Hybrid cockscomb wants to grow them. Their crinkled velvet heads come in exquisite two-toned combinations and are crested or globular in shape.
Plants grow to 3’ feet tall. Therefore, it is hard to choose between Maple Gold, Rose Beauty, Harlequin, and the new Royal Velvet.
So, try mixed colors if you don’t have space to grow them all. Since celosias are tender, seeds should not be planted outdoors until the danger of frost is past. Both types of celosia dry perfectly.
Helipterum or Xeranthemum
If you’re looking for a different edging plant for your garden, try helipterum or xeranthemum. Both form neat compact plants with gray-green foliage and grow no higher than 12″ inches.
They bloom prolifically—helipterum-bearing dainty daisy-like flowers in pink rose or white, while the flowers of xeranthemum are deep lavender, pink, or white and fully double. Both types are charming in small bouquets, fresh or dried. Seeds can be sown outdoors in May.
One of my favorite flowers on all counts—in the garden, for fresh bouquets, and for drying—is Salvia farinacea Blue Bedder, sometimes called mealycup sage. For really effective use in the garden, it continues until November.
It is a tender perennial in milder climates, but here in Connecticut, it must be treated as an annual. If wanted principally for drying, it can be sown outdoors in May.
Blue Bedder Wedgewood
Although Blue Bedder’s Wedgewood blue spikes are lovely for summer bouquets, I always wait until quite late in the morning to cut sprays for drying.
By that time, the tone of the blue flowers is much more intense and thus contributes more color to a dried bouquet. Plants grow 3’ to 4’ feet tall and branch well.
Strains of Strawflowers
Improved strains of strawflowers (helichrysum) will produce large double flowers 2″ to 3″ inches across. These come in deep yellow, pale yellow, orange, salmon, red, pink, and white. Bushy plants grow 3′ feet tall, and flowers are borne profusely.
Seeds sown in May should produce flowers for several months. However, they are real “toughies,” too, as they go on flowering after frost has killed all the tender annuals.
Spirea (Astilbe)
Spirea (astilbe) is a dependable perennial which will do well in part shade, and its attractive foliage remains in good condition long after its flowers have passed.
In June, the plant produces many feathery sprays of white, rose, peach, pink or red. Plants increase in size rapidly and should be divided in the fall every second or third year.
Venusta
Another member of the spirea family, venusta (Filipendula rubra venusta), also known as Martha Washington Plume, is a. great addition to any garden.
Molucella Laevis and Ambrosia
Because I Like lots of green in my dried bouquets, I grow both bells of Ireland (Molucella laevis) and ambrosia, an herb. These are charming in fresh bouquets and dry perfectly.
Ambrosia produces feathery spikes of green on plants 4’ feet tall. Bushy plants in the fall will result from May-sown seeds.
Artemisia Silver King
Artemisia Silver King is a splendid plant for the foreground of a perennial border. Its silvery-green spikes are charming in gardens and bouquets alike.
So are the scented spikes of the delicate white flowers which appear on Artemisia lactiflora. This grows mutt taller than Silver King and needs to be divided frequently.
Cut At The Peak Of Bloom
Almost all flowers for drying should be cut at the peak of their bloom (except strawflowers which are cut when partly opened).
The flowers should be tied in bunches of 8 to 12 of the same color or colors like yellow and orange, which are used together in arrangements.
If dried in light, colors will fade; in a damp place, flowers will mildew. The two factors for success are darkness and dryness.
This year, get the most out of your garden space by growing some double-duty flowers. In this way, you’ll have summer’s bounty all year round.
44659 by Na