Drying dahlia flowers : part 2

I have no idea if this will work, but I am having so much fun.

Years ago I might have felt bereft if I saw all this damage in the flower garden.

And I would have had a very attractive compost bin. Chock full of fading flowers.

• 

But now.

Now!

• 

Armfuls and armfuls of flowers are going up to the potting shed where I set to with either a ball of string, or just hang up the blooms.

At the beginning I tried complicated knots with the string. But the stems shrink a bit when they dry, so now if there is no convenient hook in the stem, I just tie one knot and pull quite tight.

And then add them to the rows of string I have added to the rafters of the potting shed.

The roof is polycarbonate and half shaded, so I will learn over the next month or so if this autumn sunlight is ruining my chances of a perfectly dried flower. It’s light but not glaring.

And the only real sunshine appears around 4pm.

So far only one flower has dropped all its petals in a sort of sulk that makes the cat sulks look tame. Petals all over the floor.

(‘The Creature is Not Happy about sharing her home with all this colourful intrusion.)

So far all the blooms are desiccating nicely. It’s warm and there is no breeze (if I remember to shut the door).

Apart from the white ones which I won’t even bother rescuing from the potager any more. They can’t possibly look good dried. They look moribund and not attractive.

And the really soft large petalled pink ones. So far their form is more dropped snotty hanky.

But I have to be patient and see what emerges.

And it is certainly a great way to extend the life of the flowers once they fade.

I’ll report back in a month.