Almost any flower - from a fragile wildflower to a luxurious garden rose, any leaf and blade of grass can become not only part of a school herbarium, but also turn into an ikebana, a postcard for your beloved grandmother, material for decoupage, scrapbooking and a real painting that will be an excellent decor for your home . But for this you need to know how to properly dry leaves and flowers.

There are many ways to dry plants and other natural materials to preserve their original shape and color. There's even a way to instantly prepare leaves and other supplies for fall crafts and herbariums. And he will help you out a lot if you learned this evening that your child needs to bring this same herbarium to school tomorrow.

But sometimes there is no need to rush, especially if you want to create something unusual and unique from the gifts of nature. And then air or volume drying comes to the rescue, allowing you to preserve both the shape and color of beautiful delicate flowers. You just need to be patient so as not to accidentally spoil anything.

And then real magic is born under your hands and the flowers continue to delight the eye when the blizzard is blowing outside the window with might and main.

Air drying without hanging

If there are no plants for hanging suitable conditions or places, they can be wrapped in paper napkins (preferably rice) or other moisture-absorbing material, and then placed in boxes or on top of cardboard.

Flowers usually dry in 2-3 weeks.

This method is suitable for plants such as ammobium, periwinkle, heather, gypsophila, goldenrod, kermek (statice), lavender, echinopsis and the like.

Air drying in a vase with water

Some plants wither very quickly, so it is difficult to dry them in their original form. Therefore, a combined method is used for them: air drying plus water.

The ends of the stems must be cut diagonally and the plants should be placed in a vase with water, immersed no more than 4-5 centimeters.

As the water evaporates, the plants will dry out.

After the buds have wilted a little, remove the flowers and trim the ends of the stems that were in the water to prevent mold.

Then dry the plants by laying them horizontally on cardboard or paper.

This method is suitable for plants such as globe artichoke, heather, carnation (after the flower has fully bloomed), gypsophila, hydrangea, lavender, bulbous, yarrow, chicory and the like.

Air drying with hanging

Air drying is an indispensable method for large flowers and plants that are needed for crafts or winter bouquets.

For such drying you need dark (without straight sun rays), a dry, cool room with excellent ventilation (pantry, attic, garage, attic).

Depending on the type and size of the plant, the drying process takes a different amount of time.

What flowers can be dried?

The air method is easy to dry ornamental grasses or spikelets of cereal plants (rye, wheat, barley, etc.), as well as medicinal or beneficial herbs (mint, St. John's wort, nettle, etc.).

Flowers: cornflower, hydrangea, decorative onions, poppy, rose, lilac (cut immediately after the lower flowers bloom), physalis.

Cereals

Harvest the ears a couple of days before flowering or after the ears turn a light straw color.

After harvesting, gather the ears into small bunches, placing the tops of the plants at different levels.

Tie the stems tightly, but not tightly, and trim the ends of the stems, straightening them out.

Hang the bunches with the spikelets down on a stretched rope or wire, at least 15 centimeters from the ceiling. The gaps between the beams are 10-15 centimeters.

You can secure bunches of flowers on hooks, paper clips or clothespins.

Leave the grains to dry completely.

Flowers

Cut flowering plants as soon as the flowers bloom. Remove the bottom pair of leaves or all the leaves if you only want the flower itself.

Tie the plants at the base of the stem, 5-10 pieces in a bunch. It is better to wrap every 2-3 stems, and at the end of the entire bouquet, with a tourniquet, elastic band or twine, so that the flowers do not fall apart after drying.

But do not pull the rope too tight or wrap it excessively, so that moisture does not accumulate in the dressing areas.

Hang the bunches with flowers or spikelets down on a stretched rope or wire, at least 15 centimeters from the ceiling. The gaps between the beams are 10-15 centimeters. You can secure bunches of flowers on hooks, paper clips or clothespins.

In a bunch, the leaves should be well ventilated and the flowers should not touch each other.

Leave the flowers to dry for 15-30 days. If the petals are thick and dense, or not optimal conditions, then the drying time can be increased to 40 days.

When the flowers are completely dry, the petals will be hard and fragile to the touch.

General rules

Large flowers and flowering branches should be dried one at a time (hydrangea, peony, rose, lilac).

The thorns must be removed from roses.

It is better to bind different types of plants separately, because their drying time may vary.

Bulk drying of flowers in a wrapper

Absorbent cotton

In addition to powder drying using bulk substances, you can use absorbent cotton wool. In this case, the petals also retain their shape and color well.

Place all the petals, including the very central ones, with pieces of cotton wool. Hang the plant by its stem on a hook or rope.

The flower head usually dries in 5-6 days, but the cotton wool can be removed only after the stem has completely dried.

Toilet paper

When drying flowers using toilet paper the cup is flatter and the papery texture leaves marks on the petals, but it doesn't fall apart.

The flower is transferred with paper in the same way as with cotton wool.

Waxing fresh flowers and leaves

Fresh flowers can be covered with paraffin, including a bouquet given for a holiday. Almost all types of flowers can be treated with paraffin.

Dip the brush in melted paraffin, then carefully and delicately work the petals and leaves.

It is better to start from the outermost ones and move towards the center of the bud.

After the petal has completely dried, you can move on to the next one.

The time has come for autumn preparations. We are not talking about canning tomatoes or cucumbers now. Who has preschool and preschool children in the family? younger age, they will understand what we are talking about. Ahead academic year and time for regular crafts.

We will harvest autumn leaves.

There are many ways: you can press the leaves (remember school herbariums?), preserve them using wax paper, laminate them, use silica gel, and even dry them in the microwave.

In our opinion, the best way preserving leaves - with glycerin. Not the fastest, but the leaves remain soft to the touch, are stored for several years, and are suitable for crafts and room decoration.

You will need:

• Glycerin (available at any pharmacy, cheap)
• Containers or trays
• Autumn leaves
• Absorbent paper (napkins will do).

1. Choose beautiful leaves. It is better that they are free of stains, bulges and not curled. Place them in a plastic container.

2. Mix 1 part glycerin and 2 parts water by volume.

3. Pour the mixture onto the leaves. To prevent the leaves from floating, you can press them down with something, for example, placing a smaller container on top.

4. Leave for 2-3 days. After that, check. If the leaves are still dry to the touch, leave for a couple more days. The leaves should be soft and elastic to the touch.

This year, my daughter and I very thoroughly, like squirrels, stocked up on autumn leaves, and all kinds of nuts, acorns, and pine cones. The older the child gets, the more interesting it is to make crafts from all this material - the daughter does more and more herself, and often we just do something nearby, the mother does hers, the child does hers. It is very pleasant to spend time like this. I already mentioned on Facebook that we made stamps from autumn leaves and apples - we were so carried away by it! And this fall we did it for the first time "waxy" leaves - leaves preserved in stearin and wax. I had never tried this before and simply dried the leaves - in the open air, in sand, or soaked them in glycerin. I love floristry very much and am quite good at it. Now we have mastered a new technique that we are both delighted with. It is not at all complicated and gives a very effective result. Now not all the leaves have fallen off yet and you can also try to make wax autumn leaves that retain their shape and color for a long time.

I traditionally don’t take photographs of a detailed masterclass, but I can describe everything in words. Let there be just a lot of photos of the result.

So we need:

1. Fresh autumn leaves (ideally maple leaves with petioles);
2. Natural wax or stearin candles (I have the most ordinary white IKEA candles, you can use transparent candles or special kits for making candles. The final result depends on the type of wax - here everything can be found out experimentally.);
3. Baking paper or foil; (we will put leaves on it to dry);
4. The saucepan and container for the water bath are preferably wide, so that your largest leaves can easily fit in;
5. A wooden board or dish, tray, baking sheet, where the finished leaves will be temporarily stored and dried;
6.Stove, kitchen, free time and positive mood.

The process itself is as follows:

1. Melt the wax or stearin in a water bath. (Amount so that you can freely dip the leaf, approximately 1.5-2 cm from the bottom of the container.) As soon as the wax has melted, reduce the heat to a minimum to maintain heat.

2. Spread baking paper or foil near the stove - the leaves will dry on it so that they do not stick to the surface. The distance from the stove to the foil should be minimal; ideally, cover the edge of the stove with foil, otherwise you will have to spend a long time and tediously scraping off drops of wax or paraffin.

3. Take the leaf by the petiole with your hands and quickly dip it into stearin (wax). Make sure that it is completely submerged, but do not cook it in water for a long time; 6-10 seconds will be enough. Take it out and let the beads of wax drip directly over the pan. To do this, first hold it for 6 seconds with the tips down, then, if it is tight, turn it a little to completely cut off all the drops and so that no accumulated wax remains on the tips. Then quickly place the sheet face up on foil or baking paper. The sheet dries quickly - in about half a minute. Afterwards, you can immediately transfer it to the same baking sheet or dish where the leaves will finally dry out or wait their turn for use in crafts. But after a minute or two the leaves can already be used for work. Foil or baking paper must be periodically cleaned of wax drops, or a new one must be placed so that the drops do not stick to the leaves. When you put the sheet to dry, a small drop may remain on the tip and go beyond its aisles - after drying, this drop can be easily removed manually with a knife or fingers, but so as not to damage the entire coating of the sheet.

If a child participates in the process, then he must be at least 4.5-5 years old, and then he can dip the leaves into the wax himself, but only with a long petiole and after a thorough explanation by the mother of how hot the wax is. As soon as the child is tired, let him become a spectator. But in general, although this activity is interesting and fascinating, it is not for kids. My daughter made 6 leaves and then helped sort the finished leaves.

As a result of processing, the leaves become very beautiful: they retain their shape and color. It is impossible to make them absolutely even, since nothing can be placed on top when drying. So the natural curve will be preserved. But such a rich shade cannot be achieved by simple drying. White stearin causes the leaves to shine slightly, as if covered in frost or as if they were candied, and yellow maple leaves become brighter, more saturated. It is not so easy to work with white stearin - when it hardens, it can show flaws in the work - accumulations of white on the hollows of the leaves. You need to very carefully remove stearin from the leaf - practicing to make precise movements. For stearin, you need to choose smooth leaves without dents. Variegated leaves with white spots are also good in stearin. Stearin can chip off the leaves if children's fingers pick at it. But he doesn’t get down on his own. The leaves turn out to be quite fragile - as if they were made of glass or frozen, but durable. It’s a pity that the photos don’t convey the delightful sensations that arise when you hold this “wax” sheet in your hand and rustle it! After paraffin we tried natural wax. With it, the leaves do not become hard, but remain soft and take on an almost matte appearance. Of course, you shouldn’t bend them - the coating will lose beautiful view. All red leaves are very good under wax - for example Maiden's grapes. But the yellow maple leaves are not as impressive as in stearin, and they curl slightly. In general: depending on what you dip the leaves in, you get very different results. Since you don’t know what exactly will happen, you feel a little like a sorceress.

We put some of the finished leaves in a beautiful dish to decorate the dining room, so we could sort through them and admire them. And the other part made decorations for the windows: they tied the leaves with a thin black thread and attached them above window frame. These leaves have not lost their leaves for two weeks now. appearance. Our garlands are good both in cloudy weather and in sunny weather. In the sun, of course, they shine incomparably - like stained glass. And they rustle slightly from the breeze... But in general, you can make anything from such “wax” leaves - a bouquet, a volumetric applique, an autumn tree, a mobile, a garland - it all depends on our imagination. And the technology itself is magnificent. My daughter and I are very pleased and will continue to experiment with it next year.

Material prepared for work.

Water bath. Irgi leaves are drying nearby. Only I can dip such tiny leaves in wax - it is dangerous for a child to do this. Nearby lies a knife, with which I remove droplets of wax from the foil.

This photo and one below: - leaves in stearin.

This photo and the one below: leaves in natural pure wax.

We liked the paraffin treatment better - that’s why we made more of these leaves.

Leaves in stearin. The most spectacular and beautiful. Although many people also like waxy ones, which feel like soft, thin skin to the touch.
Those in stearin are as if candied, or in frost. They feel hard and fragile to the touch.

I made a wreath for the wall from leaves treated with stearin. These are the leaves of the serviceberry.

For contrast, this is how maple leaves dry at home without any treatment. My daughter was impressed.
True, we really like this bouquet: it is stylish and beautiful. In general, every dried maple leaf, when curled, becomes like a sculpture.

This is our composition on the window. Here you can see exactly how the leaves were tied - with a black thread behind the petiole.

Our composition is made from leaves treated with stearin. It is good both in cloudy weather and in sunny weather.

It's on another window - in the nursery.

The shadows of the leaves on the window are especially beautiful with the curtains drawn. They also sometimes “walk” around the room depending on the time of day.

The child is delighted with our “eternal” magical leaves.

Golden autumn is in full swing, the beauty in the parks is indescribable. Our whole family really loves to walk through the autumn forest, rustle the leaves, lifting whole “pillars” with our feet, arrange fireworks from them, and on the way home, collect the most beautiful ones and put them in a vase at home... Eh, only all this beauty is warm at home so short-lived. A couple of days pass and the leaves dry out, wither and begin to curl, but I really wanted to preserve them. bright colors autumn and admire them in winter!

And now the means have been found! Welcome to the cat to find out all the “magic”, as well as fun ideas for what leaves can be used for!

Saving leaves

The simplest and known method Preserving leaves means drying them under a press. But this method is suitable if you want to make a herbarium. Simply storing it in a vase or somehow decorating a room with dried leaves does not work very well, because the leaves become too brittle. Therefore, if we want to decorate the room using leaves, then it is better to choose another method of “preservation”.

In order to “extend the life” of fallen leaves, it is best to collect “wet” (recently fallen), undamaged leaves

Method 1 – soak in glycerin

To do this, we need a baking sheet (or a deep tray), a board (which will completely fit into the tray or baking sheet, in fact, glycerin itself (a lot)
Glycerin is the best remedy to maintain plasticity.

We make a solution - 2 parts water and 1 part glycerin. We need enough solution to drown our leaves in it. The solution is poured into a tray or baking sheet, leaves are placed in it in one layer, and covered with a board on top so that the leaves are completely recessed. We leave it like this for 2-3 days, and then check it. If the leaves have become plastic, you can dry them, but if they still feel a little brittle and “dry” to the touch, then it is better to leave them for another couple of days.

These ready-made leaves are perfect for decorating a room - wreaths, garlands or just a bouquet.

You can also preserve small twigs in a glycerin solution.

How to do it:

1. Cut off small branches with leaves and immediately immerse the stems in a container with warm water. Let them sit there for about 2 hours, away from direct sunlight.
2. Make a solution of 1 part glycerin with 2 parts water (you can add a few drops of dishwashing liquid) and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer it over low heat for 5-10 minutes.
3. Allow the solution to cool completely.
4. Remove the branches from the container with water, and break their ends with a hammer so that a larger surface can absorb the solution.
5. Place the branches in a solution with glycerin. Keep away from direct sunlight and other heat sources until small drops of dew appear on the leaves. This means that the leaves have absorbed everything they can.
6. Remove the twigs and dry the leaves.
7. Hang the branches with their leaves down to dry.

Method 2 – wax paper

You will need wax paper (for baking), 2 towels, iron

We cut a piece of wax paper and lay our leaves on it in one layer so that there is space between them. Cover the top with the same sheet of wax paper. It turned out to be such a “sandwich”. Now he rips the top with a towel (a kitchen towel, not thick) and carefully, so as not to displace the leaves, iron it. NO STEAM! It is also better to put a thin towel on the surface on which we iron so as not to stain anything with wax. The pieces of wax paper should completely stick together. After cooling, we cut out our leaves, leaving small edges so that the paper remains “sealed”. The leaves are completely intact!

Method 3 – wax procedures

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We take paraffin wax (we used regular candles) and melt it over low heat. ATTENTION – we melt in a container that you don’t mind, it’s impossible to wash off completely hardened wax (we’ve had a special bowl for these procedures for a couple of years now).
Where the leaves will dry later, we lay wax paper (again, it’s better to lay it under kitchen towel) (or you can hang the leaves on a rope to dry).

We take the leaf by the stem and carefully immerse it several times in the melted wax.

Now for some fun ideas on what you can do with leaves.

Funny herbarium

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A figured hole punch is always useful

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Shall we play?

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Let's paint

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Drawing with prints

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This way you can make cards as a gift.

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And if you take craft paper (brown) and decorate it with many prints, then the issue of gift wrapping will be solved!

Can you make prints on fabric?

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Using pencils

Beautiful leaves are the highlight of this season. Some fall foliage looks more beautiful than summer flowers because it is filled with vibrant, genuine colors. But to preserve this beauty, you will have to make efforts.

You can choose foliage with your children, brothers, sisters, and then create a beautiful family bouquet. When looking for materials for crafts, follow these recommendations:

• choose flat, non-curled specimens without streaks or bumps;
• collect leaves different colors, do not get hung up on one tone, otherwise your autumn bouquet will be boring;
• Dry wet leaves under pressure, otherwise they will not be preserved;
• leaves that accumulate less moisture can be preserved using glycerin or silica gel.

How to preserve autumn leaves for a long time

There are several ways to preserve seasonal beauty.

Pressing

Compressing foliage is the easiest way, but the result will not last as long as we would like. After it, the foliage often loses its shape, and then quickly dries out if it is not constantly under pressure. However, it is one of the most common ways to save autumn beauty. How to dry leaves under a press:

1. Select dry flat leaves.
2. Place them between newspapers or waterproof wax paper - a layer of wax will seal the cracks and make the leaves smooth.
3. Take a couple of heavy books and put paper in the middle. The heavy weight will prevent the herbarium from curling.
4. Place more heavy books or any other weight on top.
5. Leave the book in a cool, dry place. After a week, check the leaves - they should dry out, but if something goes wrong, all that remains is rotten beauty. If nothing happens to the leaves during this time, keep them under pressure for as long as possible.

After pressing, the foliage can be used to design a room or decorate furniture by placing the dried branches on interior items and then covering transparent fabric. This decor will make the apartment even more comfortable.

Application of silica gel

Silica gel is a powder white, which is used for drying shoes. It resembles salt and can often be found in shoe boxes. Silica gel removes moisture, so it helps a lot when drying shoes. The powder can be purchased at any craft or hardware store.

Silica gel is a powerful thing; it can handle even thick wreaths. Therefore, in order for the craft to be stored for a long time, the composition should be preserved in this way. The drying process using this method consists of several stages:

1. Select moist, resilient specimens.
2. Sprinkle a 3cm layer of silica gel on the bottom of a heavy-duty microwave-safe dish.
3. Put yellow leaves on top, leave some free space.
4. Cover the material completely with another layer of powder.
5. Microwave the dish on medium power, uncovered, for about 2 minutes.
6. Check the leaves periodically. When they are dried, take them out and let them cool.

Use of glycerin solution

Marinating in glycerin is one of the best methods preservation of the herbarium. When using this liquid, the foliage remains flexible and soft for several years. This way you can save not only leaves, but also entire small branches.

1. Make a one to two solution of glycerin and water, pour into a flat tray.
2. Place everything in the glycerin mixture and then cover with another dish. Allow the herbarium to be completely submerged in the solution.
3. Leave the leaves to soak in glycerin. Check every 2-3 days to ensure they are soft and firm.
4. After filling the herbarium with glycerin, you need to remove it and wipe off the remains.

After the glycerin solution, the foliage can also be used for wreaths or garlands. With their help, you can transform the interior of the table, make rings for napkins and dishes.

The methods that we described above have one significant drawback - in pursuit of storage time during drying, you can deprive the bouquet of the beauty that you were trying to preserve. The probability of such an outcome is small, but it still exists.

1. Select fresh, damp maple leaves and place them between two paper towels.
2. Place this “sandwich” on a microwave-safe tray.
3. Place in the microwave and turn it on at medium power.
4. Check the herbarium every 30-60 seconds. With high humidity and thickness, this process will take longer.

If too much time passes, the leaves may ignite and burst into flames, so you need to keep a close eye on them and don't wait for them to crumble and shrink. Only you can protect the leaves from drying out and the house from fire.