For the Sept. Meeting--DANCES WITH DRIEDS

Hi all! Man I am writing a lot the last few days. Hope no one is getting informational overload. Sorry to dump so much on you at once--but I have to get things done right as they are in my frontal lobe or they slosh around and get lost.
Okay--since our Sept. meeting is going to come even later and fresh flowers from our gardens will be minimal, lets work with dried material instead.
I used to do a great deal of work with dried flowers--its really kind of how I started out. They have fallen from favor with the advent of ever more attractive silks, but for me the "real deal" is always the best. I am still rolling the idea of containers around in my head, but for the moment lets just leave it at "coffee mug"; thats pretty easy. If you don't have something--go to the goodwill and grab something with an opening that is roughly coffee mug size. If I have some brainwave that means a huge change from this format I will bring materials with me.
The other thing you will need to do is scout around your yard and bring material with you. You can do some basic prep work now. A lot of plants are suitable for drying--I always tell people if you wonder if something is "dry-able" cut it and hang it upside down and find out. Some things will dry, some things will get all horrible or shatter. Just experiment. Take whatever you cut, bunch it up with a rubber band and hang it up in the basement or someplace cool and dark. Preferably someplace easy to get at and sweep up if the experiment bombs. There is also some material that can be cut fresh and allowed to dry once its in the arrangement. Here is a rough (very rough) guide--the stuff I list as "dryable" should be cut and hung upside down. The stuff listed as "Fresh" should be cut the night before and put into warm water. You can condition the water with a little sugar or aspirin if you want--not vital. Take it out of the water and just bring it "as is".
Okay--here we go--email me with questions:
DRYABLE STUFF--CUT AND HANG UPSIDE DOWN AT LEAST 1 WEEK BEFORE BRINGING;
Lavender-- Pee Gee Hydrangea-- Yarrow
Strawflower--Statice-- Ageratum (pick new blooms)
Sedum-- Grasses-- Poppy, Iris pods
Sage leaves-- Silver Queen Artemesia-- Oak leaves
Joe Pye Weed--Queen Anne's Lace (pick at any stage of growth)
Echinops-- Milkweed pods-- Chive Flowers
Amaranth-- Nigella-- Armeria
Baptisia pods-- Pretty branches-- Rose hips
False Saffron-- Celosia-- Feverfew
Teasel-- Money plant-- Ferns (Christmas Fern)
Gomphrena-- Baby's breath-- Mint, Catnip, Catmint
Oregano-- Liatris-- Monarda
Dock--Chinese Lanterns-- Roses
Sedges and Rushes--Goldenrod--Tansy
Rabbits foot clover-- Dill flowers-- Mullein

Things to bring fresh:
Boxwood-- Lambs ear-- Ivy leaves
Ferns-- Myrtle-- Sage leaves
Lavender-- Oak Leaves-- Silver Queen Artemesia


PLEASE DO NOT BRING SWEET ANNIE--SOME PEOPLE ARE VERY ALLERGIC TO THIS PLANT
DO NOT BRING BITTERSWEET--IT IS TOXIC AND JEFF'S DOGS WILL BE IN THE BUILDING AFTER WE ARE.

This is by no means an exhaustive list--just a jumping off point. If you have something in your garden or fencerow that you want to try and dry--cut it and have at it! Please don't bring any kind of berries unless you know EXACTLY what they are and are certain they are non toxic.

Keep watching--this is all kind of fluid and may continue to change.
HAIL TO THE DIRT