| Flowers have a curious magical power over | | | | To make a dried floral bouquet, you should first |
| people. Not only do they add to our present but | | | | imagine a triangular floral arrangement with a flat |
| are also linked to our past. Dried flowers, in this | | | | back. Use enough materials to make an |
| respect, are an important part of our lives. | | | | arrangement 1.5 times the size of the vase. Begin |
| To dry fresh flowers, you can either freeze-dry | | | | by using twigs, ferns, long seed heads and spiked |
| them or air-dry them by hanging them upside | | | | flowers. For depth, use longer pieces such as |
| down, or you can use silica gel. You could also | | | | larkspur at the back of the arrangement. |
| place flowers in the microwave. | | | | Now, add filling material, say tansy, statice or |
| To make a dried flower arrangement, place your | | | | hortensia, reaching half the height of the twigs |
| vase on a lazy Susan, stick the base of the vase | | | | and ferns. For greater appeal, place the most |
| with floral clay and fix a piece of foam into your | | | | attractive flowers with the main colors of the |
| vase. With lepidium, lavender, and straw give an | | | | arrangement in the center of the arrangement. |
| overall shape to your arrangement. Now, fill in the | | | | Take care to see that the arrangement is in a |
| center with flax, galax leaves, maidenhair fern, or | | | | fine balance--neither too heavy on one side nor |
| foliage. Place flowers in descending order of | | | | too weak on the other. While maintaining the basic |
| size--begin with large flowers such as hydrangea, | | | | shape of the arrangement, keep putting in flowers |
| and then move on to medium sized flowers, | | | | and heighten its effect with grasses and seed |
| spacing them evenly. For better effect, add | | | | heads. |
| larkspur, delphinium, or dried flax. | | | | |