My No Cost Winter Bouquets Play!

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DRY 'EM WITH AIR

The easiest way to preserve the plants you collect is by air-drying them. Tie the foliage into small bunches and hang them head down in any warm, dry, dark spot (a shed, garage corner, attic, etc.) that has a gentle circulation of air through it. Don't let the bunches touch! And do leave them hanging for ten days to two weeks (until they feel crisp) . . . then spray them with clear varnish, a matte-finish plastic spray, or any brand of florist's or artist's fixative. The weeds, etc. can then be placed in a cardboard box between layers of paper and stored in a dry place . . . or simply left hanging until you're ready to use them.

DRY'EM WITH AGENTS

Although it's more bothersome, some flowers are best preserved through the use of an agent (rather than air-dried). Silica gel (sold in craft shops) is the most efficient (and expensive!) of these agents. It will dry blossoms in two to five days, is lightweight, won't distort petals, preserves color quite well, and can be used again and again. Sand (sifted to remove foreign matter and large grains) will work as a drying agent too . . . even though its weight may misshape the flowers placed in it. Sand does not do as good a job of preserving a bloom's color, though, and plants placed in sand take from two to three weeks to dry. Another "homemade" agent-equal parts of cornmeal and borax-is lighter than sand and will dry foliage in one to two weeks . . . but does tend to cling to flowers. I use a small paint brush to whisk it away. Silica gel (which can draw moisture from the atmosphere) should always be used in an airtight container. Sand and the boraxcornmeal mixture are not so fussy: A covered cardboard box is all they need. In all three cases, though, your working methods are the same: Spread about an inch of the agent in the bottom of the container, place your blooms in cuplike depressions spaced far enough apart to keep the flowers from touching each other, gently sprinkle each blossom with the agent until the blooms are covered, put a lid on the box or whatever, and leave the container in a warm, dry spot while it does its work. When the plants inside have become brittle to the touch, they can be removed. . . sprayed with a fixative . . . and stored in plastic bags or cardboard boxes until you're ready to use them. Yet another common preservative is made by mixing together equal parts of glycerine and water . . . and then immersing just the stems of the plants you want to keep in three or more inches of the solution (the ends of woody specimens should be crushed first). You'll see the veins of the flowers, etc. placed in this preservative gradually change color as the plants absorb the mixture. When the process is complete (usually in about two weeks), remove the blossoms, small branches, and so on and drain them on newspapers. Dogwood, beech, magnolia, eucalyptus, and ivy do especially well when preserved this way because-unlike other methods of preservation-this one leaves foliage pliable.

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