Hodge Podge Lodge; 594; Dried Flowers

Much dried flowers for you go for wanting to do. Something. That. Way. Well maybe not since. I you like my pretty M.K.. Have you ever wished that you could take pretty flowers when they're fresh from the garden or fresh from

the flower shop or fresh from the field and make them last for a long long time. Well today my friend Mrs. Lyon is coming and she's going to tell us how to do it. Hope. Have you ever wished that before. Do you have any flowers near you that you could make a bouquet out of. Where in the field or in your yard about Utah. What kind of flowers do you have tulips. Oh they're beautiful. I come in such pretty colors to this bouquet belongs to my friend Marsha and she lent it to me for just for today. One day about dried flowers is they're very fragile. You know what that word means delicate that you have to be to handle them very carefully or they'll break. So she very carefully brought this over so we could look at it because it's such a nice arrangement. The colors of the

flowers just bring out the colors of the vase notice the orange and yellow and brown and white. You see anything there you recognize some of these things you can grow in your garden like baby's breath. That's one of my favorite flowers. That's such a nice name. That's real but it's been painted and you see that's been spray painted to make it look really white. And here is a yellow Zinnia that's made on a paper. So that sort of fooling you but most of them are real about these brown things that are sticking out that look like feathers. So. Right. They were green when they were alive but when they draw they're brown they're still pretty. Rare this kind of arrangement. And. This one has a nice name Yaro like narrow. I have a tiny little bouquet around my neck. These are real. These are

fresh flowers but maybe when Mrs. Lion comes I can get her to give me a few tips on how to make them last how to dry them out. It a little white one is the color of snow. And it sort of droops over and you think of a good name for it hope. Snowdrop because it looks like a drop of snow and this tiny little yellow one is an iris. It only grows about that high very tiny little flower after Pratley get down your hands and knees to see it. A special Iris called Dutch iris Dand 43. What I was really surprised when I saw her let us keep the impression. Do you have any inside your house. There must be no line coming on. Let's go here. Hi Jodi. What a beautiful.

Ok I. Have. To watch be sure he doesn't take any bites out it rubs to chew up flowers. I think he just saw them right there. These are my friends hope and time on this and you don't remember her name can't you. Because it's like an animal at the zoo. Well we just took a look at it. Beautiful Daughter arrangement that Marsha brought over and we are looking forward to what you have to tell us about the ways of drawing flowers. I know it's a very very complicated subject and lots of books have been written about it but I know that whenever I meet you in the summertime you're always saying well I'll take some of this and some of that and take it home and get it ready for the to make the right arrangements with a lot of fun. Some of these are some of your wares. Yes we have various types of flowers here. How have

these been. Let's take let's take a look at these big ones first. Don't know. Maybe to hope can recognize that kind of flower. You've got enough so we can buy that. Remember what I said about them being very fragile. Yeah my thing like these in your garden Unfortunately they don't usually smell good after the roses. Sometimes roses might look like that when it's spread out flat. Ever heard of. Well you tell them it's a zinnia. So they're very easy to grow and they come with such beautiful colors. They're good flowers for children to grow. In nicely. How were these dried. Well now they were all dried in silica gel. Overnight in the oven. That sounds like a fast way. It is a good way to do it if you have an oven that will stay on and not get too hot. Not over about 150 degrees. You can

cover the flowers with silica gel in a pan and just put it in the oven for about eight hours in the next day taking out there. All right. Ready to go on used to be our little baby. That is. Does that method change the color at all. Yes it does somewhat. It depends upon the flour and some change more than others do. How about these that are hanging up. How did you do those. Well not just dry by being hung like that often. Yes they should be in a dry place. Spare Bedroom or an attic. Better than putting them in the basement for instance. This is called a bulrush. And this is a snowball Viburnum. You can dry that when it's green that way or wait till it gets white later on in the summer. And just take them home and hang them on to. A clothes line or hook something like that. And after about two or three weeks they dry. That's the easiest way is not the

quick is not the quickest and easiest the easiest but you can't do all flowers that way. No if you hung up zinnias they just will fall to pieces. So you already know. Oh. My you're better put back in the tray. If you remind me after Mrs. Lyon tells us about drying flowers she says you can use some of these little flowers to make a little bouquets to take home or that your mother be thrilled to get a little bouquet. My mother has died. Does she have some. Well I bet she'd like to have one. You made me draw flowers oh how did you get the flowers dry. We just put them between rocks paper paper and can you count me two blocks. Was that one word. Yes. We have some ferns there that were done that way. Like these are really. Really big ferns. Are almost like France.

That's right. You can press ferns the leaves and you can do flowers to be pretty pressed. These are Brocken and I think some people used to wear little bunches around their neck. Bring them good luck. Oh really. Evil spirits. That's nice. So that's pressing is one way. Good time I'm glad you mentioned that and hanging. They can also be pressed with an iron. You can put a leaf or fern I guess even a flower between two pieces of wax paper and press it with a fairly cool iron can do it more quickly that way. I have seen no children making placemats that way. So those were the leaves and things like that. Well how about these. These this beautiful bouquet you brought is there anything in there that. Yes. It shows how to dry. Yes. But one other thing I could point out is that there is another kind of flower called an everlasting.

Oh oh or straw flower. That. Dries can just be dried naturally and they're nice because they keep their. Colors nicely and will last for years and years and you have so many different colors. I didn't realize there were so many colors of Everlast things I did when I was a little girl. We call them straw flowers. Yes. Well these are strong flowers and now the and those blue ones are a thing called salvia or blue sage they can be dried by hanging to watch you take a close look at one of those and fill the square stem there. I'm always trying to get in a plug for the mint family. You recognize them with a square stamp. Do they smell minty when they're fresh. A. Bit. That was lovely had a nice pungent fragrance.

What exactly were you. Did you grow these. Yes. They're very easy to grow to. Well maybe someday I'll come over and borrow a plant. If you have a spare one that was always Oh. Oh there's a new article on the rose. How was that done that was done in silicone gel. And here's another larger boat. But all the straw flowers were done just by hand. Yes the marigolds. This is America and are done in silica gel to recognize that one. Always everybody knows Barry Gold. Oh what's the. Another important thing I know that's important. What when do you pick the flowers just when they're looking their best just before they're looking for better. I found out it was especially true with the strong flowers and when they're still a little bit immature. Or is this one that you waited too long to us if you wrote too long then you get that look which is really very pretty it turns sort of inside out. The seeds are ready. Whoops

doesn't want to show us that space. See that. Hope it's all fuzzy inside and not as pretty as this one. That's still nice right. So that's important to remember. Don't wait till the last minute. Keep an eye on them and get them all nice and fresh. And of course there are a lot of flowers in the fields. Here's a nice little thing this Japanese lantern or Chinese lantern. I think my father used to eat those little nod and Little Bear inside that little bear inside. Not when they're green. What do you think. I thought you had to wait till they were right there a little bit sour and made a little ground cherries. Cherries Yes. So that's wild and this is true isn't it. Yes that's just a little piece of goldenrod old goldenrod. Don't know what to do about that. And the Queen Anne's lace and wild yerra.

There are a lot of pretty grasses too nice to pick I think we have some oh yes this is one of my favorites are the barnyard grass. I don't know what you call this. I don't have a name barnyard grass because it's named after the. Latin name refers to the spur that a rooster has on a real honest like you know if you ever looked at a rooster leg and seen that spur that he uses to fight all the roosters suppose it looked like that. Oh yes you have. Nice bunch. You even have a sedge here. You bring the moat around. Well the main thing when you're doing arrangements you look for different forms and reach out and you like to feel that and I suppose you want. That. Song. Well people call pampas grass but I don't really miss the campus as well.

Well this is an interesting one. All I see in that. Do you have an iPhone and. Could you guess what does it look like. A piece of clean glass. That's true. It doesn't. Cost Money plant. Silver dollar plant goes looks like honesty for us. And that's not really the flower is it the flower it's a seed. Or what's the flowers a little purple flower. That's right. Yes. These are just the seed pods and they come covered with a little. Flat husk that can you just pull them off you see and then the seed falls out. I've planted those and it takes two years before you can get some nice nice money of your own. And even though it isn't you can't buy anything with it it's pretty look. Well it just shows how you do some of these fresh flowers. Sure. See that's your passion.

Yes. Well I like to use silica gel. Other people use. Borax. Kitty litter. Well plenty of things to try. And use over and over again. I understand it's a little expensive. To buy. It is. What do you like or like to do with flowers. Two of them up. Looks like little crystals. Yes it does. That's right. I don't know what it's made of. Well it was a little bit over there for you to examine. You don't know and we're going to try. Carnation here has a nice winery stem but when we do it we don't leave the stems on very long because we can always put a wire in you to do it now. Or you can often put the wire in or.

Just splice the wire on afterwards. But. Just to give you an idea you can stick a wire in there and then when it dries the stem gets smaller and holds the wire quite firmly in place. When you have your handy. In person now you could hold it put put this sort of thing face down like that. On. Top. Or you could lay it on its side. This one doesn't have a very pretty side there anyhow they might just put it down on its side. And take silica gel. And start pouring pouring it all around. You want to be careful and not just pour a whole lot of it right on top or it'll fly ash better you know what. Yes. It's very lightweight. Carnations are one of the things that is easy to do this white or

out of your favorite. I often wondered that. I have several that I really love love daffodils. I think I love the spring blooming bulbs the best of all because at the end of a long cold winter I'm just so happy to see flowers. There's a carnation for you to smell. Oh there's some carnations nowadays are so modern I don't have any smell. I never heard of this before. No I haven't completely covered it but that doesn't matter. This point is to look back and try our friend Mr. Winograd let us let us know that he has a little shop and get some leftover flowers. And he said he would let us try some idea where we. Some of them turn out well showing. I would never have thought you could do tulips so delicate.

I can't guarantee that they'll come out the same color and change and come out a pretty color. You fill up the middle with them as you go along. Some people. Take something like this to steady the flour. As you go along. So you make sure that there's enough silicone gel gel underneath the pedals to hold them in place. When you begin to pour into the middle and just keep working it and there more it easier it becomes. How long have you been interested in this for three years. What she's doing on the. Now you see is I feel as I cover this one. And I also cover up that one. So you've got to get the sand in there. Well when your tulips come up Todd maybe you can experiment with one or two.

Fonda has tulips in the wintertime. The silicone gel is sold commercially under the name flower dry. It's advertised that way. As instructions on the box but I think the instructions probably don't tell dad how to bake it in the oven overnight. That wasn't my idea I was pointed out to me and you can use it over and over again. Right. And then of course being in the oven overnight dries out the silica gel to so that you're ready to go with it the next day. Well I would ordinarily fill the pan with is we're just doing a quick demonstration and then you start some last night. Yes it does show the children how it comes out. Things are getting crowded here. So that I can pour this right into that. Oh. And so when you start to take the flowers out you don't want to just take the flour by the stem and pole or you pull petals off.

So you start gently pouring. And then hang onto your. See that they might be able to find out. It's just like paper. Just going to. Get lost a little bit of its red color but it certainly still looks like what is supposed to be a lot of think about that. You uncover your other treasures here. I'm anxious to see them too. Always fun to try new things and see how come out. This is something that you had with me your house the house plan that's a leaf from the side goes back there. Well they didn't come out as pretty colors but still color.

These might remind you of something that you might have in your yard in the summertime they're in the same family with. Something that lots of people have. Take a look. Hold it very gently. Look down into the sea to remind you of anything. I was a little girl who used to make ladies make dolls out. To be like ladies with big hoop skirts. Now here's one that I want to have time to see the flower can be held on the side like that or if you want to just. Straighten the flower up straight is here to get it arranged. Yes. Well do you recognize this one yet. That's a pretty long shot to tell top. That's a poinsettia. And these I'm sure I won't know the houseplant but they look like. Haven't you ever seen a hollyhock in the summertime.

And what do you call those Abutilon. I would have some of those girls in your house too. They can be white or pink or red nicely for Christmas. All right. But wait you get one at Christmas. You can keep it for a long time are you going to by putting them in a certain number of hours of giving them a certain arousal Why do you make them. Any time you want. That's why you don't have poinsettias in the summer or spring. So. Well it's not amazing to see what came out. Did you feel this. Much. Like paper. And this was another trick to show us how to keep your flowers after you get them out when they're so fragile. This block of styrofoam I guess you know what that is. So even if you want if you have a flower that's wired you can just keep it like that until you get ready to put it into a container. And if you have a flower with a stiff.

Stem I think we're going to say. It's a nice way to carry your weight and appropriate color scheme. Yes you could maybe you'd like to. OK. Would you like to go there. There's a little I just picked up a little space for you. That's a vase out of a lid. And here are the flowers in the tray. You can find a few. To make little ok to take home. These little tiny zinnias might be done. Well seeing is believing. I ran around gathered a few flowers and put them in sand but they didn't turn out nearly as beautifully as this.

And then my cats sort of nibble on we have in fact the cats will nibble on their arrangements after they're done and sitting around the house. How about giving a Daisy Daisy. OK so he can have happy memories of your visit. You don't just break it off he likes the pedals best. Oh I see. Don't you love that color. Yes. What are daisies going to dry. Yes. They do. Let's look at an iris on those big chrysanthemums. Goes to show the kinds of things that would be very hard. It's very hard to try but they're fun to look at. Some of Esther when it's beautiful spidery chrysanthemums and beautiful Iris. Boy that's sure a lot bigger than my work. Isn't that but these are very very difficult to keep safe in a sort of a jail. Yes anything that is sort of soapy substance or has two

larger paddle you find is the time to die. How are you doing. Oh they got the idea something toward the middle and something around the edges. Yes. And there's about this little piece of goldenrod so you'll have something wild and something tame. You have room for babies in your town. You have some nice babies breath that has been sprayed so that children can see the difference. And that's nice to fill in all the empty places in your arrangement. Oh sure. And that draws that hanging loose. You can bring it in and put it in a vase of flowers and just wait. Pretty dry last week husband had arrangement of baby's breath and hope to fill up the empty spaces. You know some people arrange dried flowers and make a lot of money

doing it. Yes so I think about where you are while you're young and like to do things. But they are a nice day. They're are real things and yet they last longer. You don't have to worry about water. That's right. I think you both have quite a flair. Using different colors and then I find that sort of nice when you go on field trips you know even if you think you finished your ok. When you go out for a walk you always find one more thing yeah that might just do that. Do the final arrangements we often just do the sand. Kapish sand or stick the flowers in it. And then when the sand dries it's almost like cement it just holds the flowers and things. That doesn't cost us half. How about getting your two you seem to enjoy that Daisy so much. I didn't expect you to be a parent of Basnet.

Thank you very much for coming by. I'm a hodgepodge logic thing here. I hope you will look around. Maybe you have some dried flowers already at your house and if you don't take a walk to the flower shop and see if you can see something there. And if you still have rights to go out in the fields and see what's still there and make your own dry arrangement goodbye and come back very soon again. This program was made possible by members of

the Public Broadcasting. Media Center for Public Broadcasting.