Save Your Summer Flowers
You can creatively save your summer blooms! Dry or
press your flowers to make fun crafts, gifts, and
decorations.
Drying your Flowers:
The simplest way I know of is hanging your flowers.
Quite simply, you remove unwanted leaves, divide
the flowers into small bunches, and tie them
together with string, yarn, or rubber bands. Hang
the flowers upside down in a warm, dry, dark place.
It must be dry so the flowers won't rot, and it
should be as dark as possible because too much
light might make the flowers fade.
This method usually takes a couple of weeks. The
length of time will vary depending on the kind of
flowers you are drying, the humidity, and the
temperature. Check on your flowers every 2 - 3
days. You want them dry to the touch.
Pressing your Flowers:
Gather the flowers you want to press, along with
some newspaper, tissue paper, a heavy book (a
phone book works well), and a large brick or
rock. First set out a piece of cardboard that is
almost the same size as your book, lay a piece
of newspaper (about the same size of your
cardboard piece) on top of that, followed by a
piece of tissue paper (also about the same size
as your cardboard piece). Place the flowers on
the tissue paper. Make sure none of them touch
each other or hang over the side of the tissue
paper. Cover the flowers with another piece of
tissue paper, then newspaper, and then cardboard.
You can continue this process, one on top of the
other, until all your flowers are prepared.
Once your stack is done, top it off with your
heavy book and the brick or stone. This method
usually takes 2 - 4 weeks.
PLANTS ON THE MOVE
As you plan next year's garden, don't forget what
went where THIS year so you can change things the
following season (and the season after that).
Crop rotation is one of the most important
practices you can follow to help your plants
thrive. For one thing, many insect pests are
partial to particular types of plants--but
they're not big travelers. By relocating your
crops, you have a good chance of foiling them.
Crop rotation also enables you to avoid plant
specific disease problems. But perhaps most
important, if you keep your crops on the move,
you can ensure that the nutritional demands of
various plant types will be met. Heavy feeders
like peppers and tomatoes can use up soil
nutrients in a hurry, so it's helpful to give
them a new spot next year, while you grow a
light feeder (or soil-restorer such as a
legume) in their previous location.
