Flowers - fresh, dried and growing in pots...

Dried flowers can be beautiful just put in a vase and displayed (with no water of course). I'll dry hydrangeas and replace them every year thus dusting is avoided. Of course the old ones are composted - not thrown into the garbage or into landfills. Organic Gardening in a pot How far apart should they be? How tall will they grow? This is very important if you are planting a window box (or other container) with a mix of plants.   For example, if some flowers need constant sun, don't plant them with a flower that cannot take full sun. Most herbs do well in pots & don't need constant care.   Again, find out each plant's requirements. Place small rocks at the bottom of your containers to ensure that there is good drainage. Also, all plants need fed - even more so for container plants.   Use fish emulsion, composted manure, or a compost tea. No artificial fertilizers!   This is an organic garden remember. Now's the time to show your craft skills -decorate a plain pot or go to an antique shop (like mine?) for unique containers.

A Rose By Any Other Name . . . There are many varieties of roses including climbing roses, tea roses, & hedges of Rugusa roses. Another advantage of organic gardening is that you can use the petals in salads, jellies, or even in the bath tub.... I use dried flowers and herbs in handmade goat milk soap, bath salts, potpourri, sachets... . If extra scent is needed, only essential oils are used in my soaps... NO perfumes or fragrance oils Recipes featuring roses!

Dried-organic-flowers-for-potpourri...

Flowers should be picked and dried before they are fully open.
Most herbs should be cut and dried before they flower if you will be using the leaves.
When drying flowers - herbs, hang them upside down in low-light (light will fade them and rob vitamins-flavor...),
but make sure of good ventilation so they will not mold.
When good & dry, you can use them in your own handmade soaps, potpourri, sachets, teas, bath salts,
bath teas, flower arrangements....   Also, you can use them for various arts & crafts like greeting cards, handmade paper, bookmarks...
I like to use the edible ones to make my own tea blends -I just try different combinations to see which I like.

Cut Flowers

Gather flowers in the morning when they are less likely to wilt.   Before arranging them in a vase, it is smart to recut them at an angle under water.   Place them in a vase of lukewarm water, my Grandma always put an aspirin in the water too - she swore by this.   You can also put a shot of 7-Up or Sprite in the water, which acts as a plant food.
Keep cut flowers out of sunlight and away from fruit as some give off a gas which makes flowers age too quickly.
I don't like to use "store bought" products -so I grow as many flowers & herbs as I can in my Hubbard, Ohio organic garden and try to find unusual ways to employ them either for consumption, skincare, or for the bath-home spa.

Now for the really cool part, impress your friends at your next party by casually reaching for your beautiful bouquet on the table - inhaling the wonderful scent and then ripping the petals off to top a salad or a to decorate a punch bowl or cake...
-only for use with organic edible bouquets-.

*Disclaimer - Please do your own research on all of the ideas-methods-recipes... contained in any of my web pages, on any of my literature, or that I might mention as I am only stating what has worked for my family, and loyal customers who love the handmade soap, bath salt "Teas", hand-sewn eye & neck pillows... all handcrafted using organic (whenever possible, but at the very least chemical-free) flowers, herbs,... at my craft and antique shop in Hubbard, Ohio.



I sell extra dried lavender buds... at my little shop Diana's Gift Shop (It is known as Hubbard Ohio Gift Shop on facebook) located at
6177 Youngstown-Hubbard Road in Hubbard, Ohio 44425
Open:
Wednesdays and Sundays from noon to 5:00pm
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 5pm