Dried flowers: varieties, cultivation and care, photos. What are dried flowers for decoration called?

Flower bouquets are beautiful, but they don't last long. However, there are ones that you can admire for many months, or even years. Among florists they have a common name, and a bouquet of such flowers can decorate a home for a long time. These plants may belong to different families, but they are united by the ability to maintain shape and color for a long period.

This is a perennial dried flower, but in our latitudes it is grown as an annual. The stem is branched, reaches 70 cm in height. The inflorescences are white, with a large yellow center. The diameter of the inflorescence is 1.5–2 cm. Ammobium begins to bloom in mid-June, flowering continues until the first frost.

An annual plant of American origin. Its stems can be simple or branched, sometimes growing up to one and a half meters in height. The inflorescences of decorative species such as caudate, dark or paniculate are collected in long spikelets or panicles. They can be of different colors: golden, purple, red, etc. Flowering begins in June and stops with the onset of autumn cold weather.

Did you know? is not exhausted decorative species. For thousands of years, this plant was the staple crop of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The Spaniards called it "Aztec wheat" and "Inca bread." It is also used as pet food. This plant is also widely used in food, amaranth oil is especially valuable.

The genus belongs to the amaranth family. About 60 species of this dried flower are known, among them there are both annual and perennial, but in our country, as a rule, annuals are bred, since they cannot withstand winter cold.

The height of the plant reaches 90 cm. Small flowers are collected in spectacular inflorescences, which can be of various shapes: pinnate, comb-shaped, spikelet-shaped. Their colors can be red, purple, yellow, etc. Celosia blooms from late June until autumn frosts.

This flower is better known as immortelle. It belongs to the Aster family. The plant can be perennial, but is also grown as an annual. The stem is straight, reaches a meter in height. The flowers form large inflorescences-baskets. Their colors are very diverse - golden, red, white-pink, purple, etc.

There are more than 600 species of immortelle. The most famous are helichrysum bractae, helichrysum milford, and helichrysum sandy. Flowering - from June to October.

This is an annual plant from the Asteraceae family. It is also called dried flower. The stems of xeranthemum are straight and branched. Height up to 60 cm. Inflorescences are baskets of purple, white or Pink colour. In temperate climates it blooms from mid-summer to early autumn.

This plant is more often called. It is annual, sometimes biennial, and belongs to the Asteraceae or Asteraceae family. It has a straight branched stem reaching one and a half meters in height. Inflorescence - a basket of red, orange or yellow color. Outwardly it resembles . Flowering from June to September.

Did you know? Buddhist monks dye their robes with a dye extracted from carthamus, and in cosmetology, safflower oil is valued as softening and strengthening the skin.

Like many others on our list, this dried flower belongs to the Aster family. The stem is erect, grows up to 90 cm. The plant is perennial, but there is also an annual species. Small tube-shaped flowers form a spectacular spherical inflorescence up to 4 cm in diameter, in various shades of yellow. Craspedia blooms in August and September.

Kermek (limonium)

This type of dried flower belongs to the lead family. Among the numerous representatives of this family, you can find both shrubs and herbaceous specimens, including both annual and perennial ones. The height of the plants, depending on the type and growth conditions, is from 30 to 1.3 m. This plant blooms from July until the end of autumn.
Externally, the inflorescences look very impressive - slightly wrinkled and elongated panicles of the most varied colors. They can be purple, green, yellow, white and pink.

Appearance, when proper care, resemble a colored cloud. A wild-growing plant, broadleaf kermek, is also called tumbleweed, since in the fall, with a strong wind, dry inflorescences often break off from the stem and roll across the steppe.

Although this Mediterranean plant is not yet a favorite among gardeners, it certainly looks elegant in its graceful simplicity. This variety of dried flowers is ideal for rustic-style plantings, and is also used for complex landscape design solutions. Catananche began to be cultivated in Europe in the 16th century.

The plant has only 5 species. The most popular variety has a pale blue flower reminiscent of chicory. Catananche flowers can also be white, yellow and purple, depending on the species. The petals have jagged edges. The height of the erect stem is up to 60 cm.

May and June are the flowering time of this dried flower. But some varieties of catananche, for example, "Capids Dart", can bloom right up to frost. This plant is also a frost-resistant species; catananche bushes do not die even at temperatures as low as -30 °C. The information that the catananche lives only two years is erroneous. It’s just that this plant, after 2–3 years of flowering, partially loses its decorative effect and requires more frequent division than other perennials.

Briza (shaker)

This plant of the cereal family was described by the ancient Greek physician Galen, but in addition to its beneficial healing properties, it is often used in decorative interiors. "Cuckoo's Tears"- this is how people called this type of dried flower because of its unusual inflorescence, reminiscent of droplets (tears) on thin stems. A small breath of wind is enough for them to start swaying, which adds a certain flavor to the breeze.

Briza grows wild in Europe, Africa, western Asia, and South America. These are usually annual and perennial plants. The stems are thin and solitary, erect with branches at the bottom up to 80 cm high. The apical inflorescence is shaped like a spreading panicle from 3 to 20 cm long and consists of 20–50 spikelets. The spikelets are quite large, drooping, 10–25 mm long. The teardrop cones themselves are round, ovoid, or triangular in shape. At the beginning of flowering they are green, eventually turning brownish-golden.

Lagurus

This dried flower has another name - "haretail", because of the fluffy inflorescence, which really resembles a hare’s tail. In stylized photos this plant looks especially impressive.

Lagurus is a cereal annual. It is approximately 50–60 cm in height. The plant blooms all summer; its fluffy white heads are often painted in different colors, making spectacular bouquets of them. Lagurus is very popular with children because of the original shape of the inflorescence and soft, fluff-like leaves.

This is an asteraceous or asteraceous plant with a bright, bitter, musky odor. Distributed throughout the northern hemisphere in temperate climate zones. Tansy grows up to one and a half meters in height and has bright yellow inflorescences collected in baskets on strong, elastic dark green stems.

Important! Tansy is popular among gardeners not only as an ornamental plant, but also as a natural remedy against mosquitoes, flies and other unpleasant things. This dried flower is often used for medicinal purposes; it is not without reason that tansy is called another name - parasite. It must also be remembered that the fruits and inflorescences of tansy are moderately poisonous.

Features of growing dried flowers

As a rule, plants of this type are very unpretentious, and their cultivation is not difficult. Seeds are usually sown in March-April, in open ground plants are planted in the second half of May, some heat-loving species - in early June. Usually planted in a sunny area of ​​the flower garden. Most types of these flowers are drought-resistant and do not require additional watering. On the contrary, plants may suffer from waterlogged soil.

How to cut and dry flowers

The right dried flowers will lift your spirits on the darkest and harshest winter days. In principle, any flower can be dried, but dried flowers do not lose their shape when dried and retain their bright colors.

Dried flowers are collected in different periods, from spring to autumn, when the flowers, in the opinion of the florist, take on the most suitable form for the future winter bouquet. Flowers should be cut in dry weather, preferably late in the morning. Plants are harvested in large excess in order to subsequently select the best specimens. In addition, dried flowers are very fragile and are easily damaged when composing an arrangement.
The easiest way to dry is natural. With this method, cut flowers are hung by the stems with the tops down. Drying is done in a dry, dark room - sunlight can change the colors of flowers for the worse.

Important! When dried, the colors that are best preserved are orange, pink, blue and purple. But the red flowers are darkening.

You can also dry the plant using cotton wool. To do this, use a box with a hole made in the bottom and a layer of cotton wool. The plant stem is threaded through the hole, the flower is covered with cotton wool, and the box is hung in a dark room.

Cut flower buds are often dried in small containers, covered with substances that absorb moisture well. Calcined fine sand or semolina are used as such substances.

A bouquet of dried flowers, depending on the prevailing shades, will first of all require an appropriate decorative vase. Thus, bouquets with a predominance of various shades of yellow go well with wooden or clay vases. If a florist creates a multi-color composition, then such work will look great in bright ceramics.

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With the arrival of autumn, you may see a not entirely pleasant picture in your garden. Most of the plants that fill it lose their bright color, the rest dry out completely and no longer show any signs of life. We cannot interfere with nature, but if you want to preserve the beauty of your garden, you can plant dried flowers in it. Such plants retain their shape, color and aroma well for a long period. You can use them to form chic compositions and bouquets and fill your room with them.

We cannot interfere with nature, but if you want to preserve the beauty of your garden, you can plant dried flowers in it

The choice of plants – dried flowers – is huge. Some of them are found outside the countryside - in the forest, in the field, near the river. Such plants can show off in the garden or become part of a composition for the home. So which ones can you grow yourself? Let's figure it out.

Immortelle flowers or immortelle flowers

Such plants have flowers with very hard petals. They do not lose their shape and brightness of color even after drying. This group includes plants, most of them belong to the Asteraceae family.

Helichrysum

Africa and Australia are considered the birthplace of helichrysum. Helichrysum bracteatum is grown in Russia. As a rule, its large-flowered variety (Helychrysum major) is cultivated. The size of the baskets is about 6 cm in diameter. The plant is characterized by a huge number of leaves, which make the flowers double.

Helichrysum

The height of the plants ranges from 40-100 cm. It has strong stems and forms inflorescences-baskets of different colors.

The most popular varieties: “Fireball”, “White”, “Yellow”, “Scarlet”, “Lotus”, “Ogonyok”. The tallest of them is “King size” (height 1 m). Among the short ones, the following can be distinguished: “Luteum”, “Hot Bikini”, “Moresca”, “Chico Red”, “Pink Porcelain”.

Helipterum (acroclinum)

Helipterum pink or acroclinum pink are in particular demand. This annual plant is native to the southwestern part of Australia. Height is about half a meter. Forms a rosette of leaves from which stems extend (some of them may branch).

Read also:

Acena - types and description

Helipterum (acroclinum)

The diameter of the baskets is about 4 cm. They bloom briefly, but profusely. It has a large-flowered form with pink-red inflorescences. Popular varieties: “Red Bonnie”, “Roseum”, “Yellow Stars”, “Bright Suns” and color mixtures, in particular the “Bonnie” mixture.

Ammobium

Australia is also considered to be the birthplace of winged ammobium. On the territory of Russia, this annual plant can reach a length of 60 cm and greatly branch. The diameter of the baskets is about 1.5 cm. The center of the inflorescences is yellow, framed by white petals.

Ammobium

It has a long flowering period (from the beginning of summer until the arrival of frost). Can be a chic decoration for a flower garden. Beautiful in winter flower arrangements.

Xeranthemum

Xeranthemum annua is found in Mediterranean countries. This annual also grows in southern Russia. Reaches a length of 60 cm. The color of the baskets is presented in white, pink and purple shades. Pleases with gorgeous flowering from mid-July to September. There can be terry and semi-double forms and varieties. “Rose”, “Violet Purple”, “Carmine”, “Cossack” (mixture) are in great demand.

Xeranthemum

Anaphalis

Most often found in the middle zone. A perennial plant with stems about 45 cm high. The leaves are narrow and have a pubescent edge, due to which the plant acquires a silvery tint. The inflorescence baskets are small (about 1 cm). The plant is characterized by frost resistance.

Anaphalis

Gomphrena

In floriculture, as a rule, gomphrena spherical is used. The plant belongs to the Amaranth family. America (tropical regions) is considered the birthplace of gomphrena. In Russia it is grown as an annual. Forms highly branched shoots (length about 35 cm). Flower baskets are formed from pink and purple petals. The diameter of the inflorescences is 3-4 cm.

Gomphrena

Popular mixture varieties: “Tall”, “Strawberry”, “Pom-Pom”, “Pixie Mix” series “Gnome”, “Buddy White”, “Buddy Purple”.

Yarrows

Two varieties of yarrow are suitable for creating flower arrangements:

• Yarrow meadowsweet. Refers to perennial plants. Reaches a height of about 1.2 meters. It looks very elegant due to its dense and flat inflorescences with a golden tint. Begins to bloom in mid-summer.
• Yarrow ptarmika. This plant is also called pearl mussel. This perennial has a creeping rhizome. Shoots grow up to 80 cm in height. Forms white inflorescences (diameter 1.5 cm). Begins to bloom from mid-July to mid-August.

Read also:

Beautiful perennials for shade that are not afraid of frost and weeds

Yarrows

Dried flower arrangements are complemented with perennials to give them delicacy.

Gypsophila

In floriculture, gypsophila paniculata or kachim is in great demand. A perennial that forms lush spherical bushes (about 1 m in diameter). The bush consists of a huge number of thin branched shoots, at the ends of which miniature flowers are visible. Flowering begins in July and lasts for 45 days. The choice of varieties is very large: “Cloud”, “Snow Flakes”, “Carmine”, “Flamingo”, “Mirage”, “Akulina”, “Pink Star”.

Gypsophila

Kermeki

Kermek is a genus of plants that consists of 3 hundred species, widespread in both hemispheres. It has another name - statice. It is an annual and perennial herb with small flowers, which are collected in corymbs or panicles. They can be white-pink, yellow, blue and lilac.

Kermeki

Many varieties are grown in gardens. Varieties with large and bright flowers have been bred. The varieties ‘Shimmer’, ‘Snow Fringe’, and ‘Heather Garden’ are in great demand.

Amaranths

The genus amaranth has about 90 varieties. Only 4 of them are used in culture: paniculate, caudate, dark and tricolor.

Amaranths

Tall plants with inflorescences of different shapes. Color – burgundy, purple, yellow, green.

Celosia

• Celosia comb. Flower growers call it scallops or cockerels. The plant received this name due to its inflorescences in the form of a cockscomb of different colors.
• Celosia silvery pinnate. It has bright paniculate inflorescences.

Celosia

Craspedia

One of its 30 species is cultivated - Craspedia globulus. Australia is considered the birthplace of the perennial. In Russia it is grown as an annual plant. The stems are straight and can reach a height of 50-70 cm. In August, yellow inflorescences (diameter 2.5-3 cm) can be observed. The most popular varieties are “Goldball” and “Drumsticks”.

Craspedia

Mordovnik

Among florists, Echinaceae is in great demand. The perennial reaches a height of 1 m. It has strong stems and slightly spiny feathery leaves. Forms spherical blue inflorescences (diameter up to 5 cm). Blooms in mid-summer for one month. Varieties: Blue Glow, Taplow Blue, Veitch's Blue.

Often, when creating dry bouquets, various dried flowers are used. Moreover, they are also used in landscape design. Which dried flowers are suitable for both bouquets and landscape compositions? Let's look at the name of each popular flower and its description in more detail.

Dried flowers are divided into several subcategories, namely:

• annuals;
• perennial;
• bulbous;
• decorative cereals as dried flowers.

Annual dried flowers

It has always been believed that the definition of dried flowers means annuals. This category can even include other definitions: “true dried flowers” ​​or “immortelle flowers”.

If we talk about the plants themselves, then from this category the following are used to form bouquets and in landscape design:

• Helichrysum;
• Rodanthe;
• Xeranthemum;
• Kermek.

Helichrysum

Helichrysum

This plant confidently holds the lead in popularity from this subgroup. This is quite natural, since Helichrysum has the greatest variety of color palettes. Today, every landowner can purchase this plant with this color:

• red;
• white;
• yellow;
• orange;
• pink;
• and even raspberry.

The height of Gelchrysum can vary from 25 to 80 centimeters.

Abundant flowering of Helipterum roseum

This variety of dried flowers is not much different from the previous Helichrysum. But the slight difference is that they have a clearly visible middle: yellow or dark.

Helipterum itself includes one advantage: it fits perfectly into any bouquet.

If we talk about its use in landscape design, then it can often be found in rockeries and rock gardens. The height of its bush does not exceed 45 centimeters.

Xeranthemum

This variety of annual dried flower is completely identical to the above varieties, both in shape and color.

However, there is still a slight difference: their double inflorescences are stiffer than others, and the petals themselves are longer.

Care and cultivation

Annual dried flowers require the same care, regardless of their variety.

In the process of growing them, they must be fed with mullein or rabbit manure. This is primarily necessary in order to obtain excellent inflorescences when creating landscape design or in bouquets.

If we talk about the cultivation itself, the seeds of annuals are sown immediately in open ground. However, there is a small nuance. It concerns low-growing dried flowers - it would be better to grow them using seedlings.

To do this, you must initially plant them either in a wooden box or in pots, and after they grow to about 15 centimeters, transplant them into open ground.

When sprouting or transplanting into the ground, it is necessary to regularly hill them around the trunk. If the ground is hard, it can harm them, and they will simply dry out or wither.

In landscape design you can see what they look like:

Any dried flowers look great in rockeries

Dried flowers can also successfully complement any brighter annuals or perennials.

Curtains of helichrysums as the only bright accent

Dried perennial flowers

Varieties of plants from this subgroup are very easy to dry and also fit perfectly into any composition.

The most popular and rare perennial dried flowers are considered to be:

• Anaphalis;
• Gypsophila;
• Millennium;
• Pearl mussel;
• Lavender;
• Astilbe.

Anaphalis

Anaphalis

The bluish-white inflorescences of this variety of flowers can completely complement any composition. If landowners are going to use it in landscape design, it is recommended to buy already grown plants, since it is very difficult to grow from seeds yourself.

If drying is necessary, it is recommended to cut off the inflorescences immediately after they bloom. If this is done late, drying will be problematic, since the leaves may fall off.

Gypsophila

Hyposphila in a bouquet

The perennial plant has small and non-double flowers. At the same time, the very type of inflorescence from this variety of plants has a delicate appearance that can create the illusion of a kind of white cloud.

When growing it on your own plot of land, you must take into account that it should be grown from seeds and immediately planted in open ground. This is due to the fact that she does not really like her transplant.

If you need to dry it, this makes it very simple. To do this, just cut the branches where the flowers have already fully bloomed, and then put them in a vase and wait until they dry completely.

Yarrow

Yarrow

Today in nature there are many varieties of yarrow with different color shades: white, yellow, red and so on.

This plant is unpretentious and does not require any special care.

As for cultivation, its seeds are immediately planted in open ground from September to mid-November. Having planted in the fall, next summer it will delight the eye with its beautiful inflorescences.

"Pearl"

Yarrow ptarmika "The Pearl", pearl mussel.

This plant also has a popular name - sneezing grass. Another name is Ptarmika. This is a type of yarrow. It should be noted that in appearance the Pearl does not look like yarrow. Agree, large double inflorescences are more reminiscent of gypsophila.

But if we talk about the care and planting itself, then this process is very easy. Having planted it in open ground, it is necessary to monitor its shoots every week, since it grows at an incredible speed.

To create bouquets from this plant, you need to collect only those branches on which the flowers have fully bloomed. If you do this 2-3 days after dissolution, they will darken.

Lavender

Lavender (Lavandula)

This variety of dried flowers is used in landscape design, and in bouquets themselves, not only because of their beautiful appearance, but rather, on the contrary, because of their incredible aroma.

If you use it in dry bouquets, after trimming the branches, you need to place them in a dark place, hanging them on the opposite side of the flowers. If you dry them in the light, the color shade will quickly lose its natural beauty and fade.

Astilbe

Astilbe

A beautiful perennial plant that includes dense inflorescences in the form of a panicle, which can be of such color shades as: pink, lilac, white or red.

For dry bouquets, this plant should also be dried in a dark room so as not to lose its natural beauty.

It is worth noting that it would be better to use them in combination with several varieties of other colors, otherwise in a single version the composition will be very boring. Although the photo on the left refutes this.

Care and planting

Perennials do not require any special care. It is enough to ensure that the soil does not dry out and provide abundant watering in the summer.

Growing is quite simple: you can buy ready-made cuttings or grow from seeds.

Seeds are usually sown in winter, and in the spring of next year they will be able to please the eyes of their owners.

From perennial dried flowers you can achieve the following compositions in landscape design:

Lavender fits very well into English gardens. In this photo it frames the park path.

Anafalis is able to create a fairly dense coating.

Bulbous dried flowers

Bulbous dried flowers are nothing more than decorative lilac-colored onions. It is grown in almost all gardens from mid-May to late autumn.

Many people make the mistake when, after dropping its inflorescences, it is sent to a heap for further disposal.

In most cases, summer residents use the fast-growing Aflatunsky onion, in rare cases: Christophe or Schubert.

In order to use it in a dry bouquet, it is necessary to cut it before the time when the onion’s inflorescences fully open. In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that compositions with its combination are formed before drying, otherwise it will break off (too fragile).

As it grows, decorative onions can reach a diameter of about 40 centimeters, which makes an incredible impression on others.

If we talk about the care itself, then it is enough to ensure that there is no extraneous grass (wild) near these plants. It is enough to remove the weed within a radius of 10-15 centimeters around the trunks.

Particular attention must be paid to watering. These plants do not like excessive watering, but also dryness. For this reason, it is recommended to water it once every 3 days in the summer, and in other seasons (of course not in winter) - once every 5 days.

Growing is very simple - make small holes or a ditch and lay out the seeds. Germination appears after 10 days.

If we talk about landscape design, then you can see the incomparable option with onions in the photo:

Using ornamental cereals as dried flowers

First of all, you need to pay attention to the fact that the cereals themselves have the property of rapid fading. However, they can often be found when forming color compositions in various bouquets.

If we talk about the varieties of plants from this subgroup, there are only a few of them, namely:

• Briza or, as she is popularly called, Shaker;
• and also the Haretail.

Briza

Briza (shaker)

This type of plant can often be called the pearl country. Initially, this plant has an inflorescence of a red-brown hue.

However, later the color shade changes to purple-gray. For this reason, to form bouquets, this plant can be pruned in several stages, thereby creating a bouquet of different color shades from one type of flower.

Haretail

Lagurus (haretail)

Another name is lagurus. These fluffy spikelets of the plant can decorate any dry bouquet.

The key point is the fact that this plant variety, for some unknown reason, is very popular with children.

Moreover, it is necessary to note one very interesting detail - the spikelets can be painted in any color if desired.

Growing these dried flowers is quite interesting. For this purpose, small greenhouses are made in early spring. Seeds are placed in these greenhouses to a depth of no more than 1 centimeter and watered.

You can make small greenhouses, which are covered with ordinary glass on top. At proper creation greenhouses (temperature should not be less than 5 degrees Celsius), germination will be already on the 8-10th day.

In landscape design, these plant varieties can complement the following compositions:

Shaking in a mixborder of herbs framing the path.

Landscape decoration with tall dried flowers

Low-growing dried flower plants are easier to use when decorating a garden or dacha: in flowerbeds, flower beds, to line a path, but bright and noticeable plants or onions are so expressive that a mistake will cost more. Let's look at some techniques using the example of decorative onions (Allium) and lavender.

A bright accent is a giant decorative bow. In the photo below, the varieties with purple inflorescences are Allium gladiator or Allium globemaster, and the variety with lush white heads is Allium mount everest. It looks great with, in a mixborder with other lush flowers, next to trimmed green hedges. It would be a mistake to complement it with delicate, elegant, or too small flowers - it will suppress them with its power.

Lavender is very popular. It was already said above that it looks great along the paths. But that's not all. It goes great with roses. It is good in wild, “unkempt” compositions, but due to its exquisite lilac color it can be an excellent companion to trimmed trees, paved paths, garden statues and decor in a classical or even palace style. Thanks to the height of the plants, it can create a line separating one area of ​​the garden from another. There are more examples in the photo below.

Rose 'Bonica' and Lavender 'Hidcote'. The garden is located at High Canfold Farm, Surrey

Lavender path at the east end of the rose garden at Polesden Lacey. NO G. CARDS UNTIL SEPT 2006 ©National Trust Images/Nick Meers

Immortelle, gomphrena, rudbeckia

Gomphrena and rudbeckia are charming in the garden and in compositions. These cultures, plus the immortelle mentioned above, are described in detail in the video below.

Bright colorful summer flies by very quickly.

It is replaced by a gloomy autumn, and then a long, cold winter. It is at this time of year that you want to once again plunge into the bright colors and aromas of summer.

Beautiful bouquets of fresh flowers replace dried flowers, which can please the eye for many months.

These plants come from a variety of families and have the ability to retain color and shape for a long period of time.

The fashion for growing dried flowers began in the 20th century. They were used not only as part of the interior, but also created decorations for hats and were used in women's hairstyles.

Creative individuals who love to create something special with their own hands will appreciate the idea of ​​growing flowers in their garden, which can later be dried and created a masterpiece.

Categories

There are many dried flowers.

They are all divided into several categories:

1. Annuals.
2. Perennial.
3. Bulbous.
4. Ornamental cereals.

Annuals

Perennial

These plants dry without problems and are suitable for any, even the most fantastic, compositions.

Bulbous dried flowers

Bulbous dried flowers include lilac decorative onions. It can be found in many gardens. Grown from May to late autumn.

Some people throw away the plant after it loses its inflorescences. But this is an unacceptable mistake.

Fast-growing decorative onions have several types:

This is the most common onion among gardeners.

To create a bouquet of decorative onions, they are cut until all the inflorescences bloom. It is important to know that the composition is composed immediately after cutting. Otherwise, it will not be possible to create a bouquet of dried flowers due to its fragility when dried.

Onions can have inflorescences up to 40 cm in diameter. This is an amazing sight that leaves a huge impression on others.

Ornamental grasses

Cereals are characterized by rapid fading, but they can often be found in various compositions. There are several varieties of plants in this group:

Growing and care

Annuals

Caring for dried flowers of various types is the same and has no special features.

During the growing period, they need to be fed with rabbit manure or mullein. Due to this, you can get good inflorescences that will look great in a bouquet or landscape design.

The cultivation of plants itself begins with planting annual seeds in the ground. It should be noted that dried flowers, which are classified as low-growing, take root better when seedlings are planted in the ground.

They are first sown in pots or boxes, and after they grow to 15 cm, they are taken out into open ground. After the first shoots, the plants need constant hilling. They do not like hard ground and may die.

Perennial

There is no need to take special care of perennial dried flowers. The main thing is not to let it dry out, especially in the summer.

Perennial dried flowers are grown from cuttings or seeds are used. You can sow the seeds before winter, and then in the spring of next year the plants will delight you with their beauty.

Bulbous

Caring for bulbous dried flowers involves removing foreign plants from its territory.

There should be no weeds at a distance of 15 cm from the trunk. The plant needs to be watered about 3 times a day in the summer. The rest of the time, once every 5 days is enough.

Seeds are sown in small holes. Shoots appear after 10 days.

Cutting and drying cereals

When preparing dried flowers, you cannot choose a time frame.

It just depends on the specific type of plant. It is easier for gardeners in this regard, since they have many years of experience behind them. There is only one rule to remember: cut the plant for drying only during the desired growth phase.

If the main thing in the plant is flowers, this phase begins after the bud has fully opened. If the capsules are seeds and fruits, then the phase becomes the ripening of seeds at the end of the growing season. Only green shoots are cut off, and not those that have withered and dried out while still on the vine.

Having prepared a place for drying dried flowers and the necessary tools, they wait for dry, windless weather. Specimens should be chosen large and bright, without diseases or defects. Inflorescences on a long shoot are cut off along with it. It is more convenient to dry a plant with a long stem, and it is never too late to trim off the excess.

After cutting, dried flowers are formed into bunches, tied and hung with the flowers facing down. There are plants that, on the contrary, need to be hung with their inflorescences up, for example, Caspedia.

In the absence of sunlight, the plants will retain their bright colors. After complete drying, it is better to store them in cardboard boxes or boxes.

Decoration with dried flowers

Home design

Dried flowers are used to decorate the interior.

They have several variations:

• paintings;
• winter bouquets;
• author's crafts;
• decorative panels;
• baskets and wreaths.

The most popular direction is creating bouquets. Not everything is simple here either. To make the bouquet look perfect, it is important to choose a suitable decorative vase. Yellow dried flowers look great with clay or wooden containers. A composition combining flowers of different shades looks good in a bright ceramic vase.

The bouquet is created in several stages. The main one is tying bunches of dried flowers. And then putting it together into a single bouquet.

If the composition is expected to be huge, with large flowers, you can use a wicker basket filled with a special sponge and covered with moss on top. This wonderful work will decorate any home.

Dried flowers in landscape design

Most often these plants are used for rocky flower beds or rockeries.

They do not require maintenance and look great among the most different types stones To do this, you need to choose tougher dried flowers, such as eryngium, briza and other similar representatives.

They look great among flower beds. They compete with the best representatives of the plant world. Not least appreciated are their amazing aromas, which add romance to the garden. Basically, plants are the background for the main representatives of the flower garden.

Low-growing dried flowers are ideal for borders, for example use lavender. Using it, you can divide the area into zones. It combines with any vegetation in the garden and exudes a spicy aroma that is easily recognizable to everyone.

The created bouquets of dried flowers are very beautiful, but you should not store them at home for years. Over time, flowers lose their fragrance and former appearance, besides, they collect a large amount of dust.

In the new season, you can collect fresh dried flowers, create a new original bouquet and create a fresh, unique composition.

Dried flowers have always been in fashion. At the beginning of the 20th century, they were especially popular; they not only decorated interiors, but were also used as costume elements - to create accents in ladies’ hairstyles and hats.

Arrangements made from dried flowers have a special style, not to mention the unique aroma of summer that comes from such bouquets.

If you like to create something with your own hands, then you will probably like the idea of ​​growing suitable flowers yourself in your garden, and then drying them and then making bouquets, paintings or more complex compositions from them in the winter season.

What plants are suitable for making dried flowers?

Some plants are more suitable for drying, some less so. Let's first list those that won't cause trouble for beginners.

In the middle lane you can quite easy to grow dried flowers like this, like winged ammobium, helipterum, helichrysum, kermek, xeranthemum, brome, shaker, celosia, tsmin.

The following twigs look very unusual in compositions: Echinops, eryngium and teasel.

Helichrysum	Kermek	Celosia

Suitable for drying from cereals most species, but the most commonly used are maned barley, miscanthus, corn and ovate haretail. Anthoxanthus fragrant is also used (in the last century it was called immortelle); it has a very pleasant aroma, while its appearance is rather inconspicuous.

All of the above are traditional dried flowers. But there are also plants that only recently began to be dried to create compositions - before, their use was difficult, since during harvesting and storage they inevitably crumbled and lost their decorative effect. With current methods of fixing the shape of dried flowers, the use of such plants has become possible.

These “young dried flowers” ​​include amaranth, astilbe, clematis Tangut, nigella damascus, evening primrose missouri, liatris, echinacea, some types of decorative onions. Let us especially clarify that clematis and nigella are usually collected at the stage of formation of seed pods.

Don't forget that all these plants are good for garden design, too.

If you are seriously interested in dried flowers, and their cultivation, preparation and arrangement of bouquets becomes a real hobby for you, then it is unlikely that in the future you will limit yourself to the list given here.

Growing future dried flowers

Many cereals, as well as thorns and some cold-resistant annuals, are sown. Heat-loving flowers are planted after the soil has warmed up - most species are grown as seedlings, but there are also those that have time to develop.

In order for plants to grow as truly worthy representatives of their species, tall, with well-developed inflorescences, without deformations, try to diligently follow all recommendations for caring for them. These recommendations can be read on seed bags, or found in books and, of course, on the Internet - for example, on our website “”.

If you usually neglect complex fertilizers for garden flowers, then in the case of growing future dried flowers you should not do this. So that the flowering is full and abundant, and the flower stalks have time to grow sufficiently, plants are fed three times per season.

Watering is usually not required. Most flowers and cereals suitable for drying do not tolerate waterlogging.

To make dried flowers, plants are collected when they are still green, have entered the peak of their flowering, or have reached some other necessary decorative requirements. For example, some plants are collected at the stage of bud formation or, on the contrary, when the seed pods are overripe and get rid of the seeds.

When cutting, they try to leave the stem longer - it can always be trimmed later, when composing the composition.

Cut plants need to be cleared of unnecessary leaves, tied into small bunches (10-15 pieces each) and hang upside down in a dry, well-ventilated area.

If you want the plants to become light - and this is convenient for further coloring - then plants need to be sprayed every two days from a bullet gun. But only the spraying should be the smallest; this can be achieved using spray guns with adjustable mode, or using perfume bottles with a sprayer instead of such special equipment.

Cereals can also be dried in the open air - in the sun, just protect them from rain and fog. With this drying method, you will need to spray more often - twice a day. Then the stems and ears will become completely white.

But it happens that dried flowers do not need to be bleached at all. To preserve the plant’s natural shades, it needs to be dried in a completely dark room, without spraying. It should also be stored in the dark until use.

If in the future you plan to create not just bouquets, but paintings and panels using dried flowers, then already at the drying stage you need to give them the desired shape so that they successfully stick to a flat surface. In this case, the plants are dried by attaching them with threads or tape to unpainted wooden boards.

Already ready dried flowers are stored in cardboard boxes, carefully placing them with newspapers or tissue paper. Of course, the room where dried flowers are waiting in the wings must be dry.

Before storage, dried flowers are tinted, and then special fixatives and varnish are used - this holds both the applied paint and the shape of the plants, preventing them from crumbling. These special preparations can be bought in florist shops.

Do not store dried flower arrangements for years!

How interesting it is, after all, to trace through your own experience the full cycle of work - from planting a small seed in the ground to making dried flowers with your own hands and further arranging a creative composition from them.