My first trip to Colonial Williamsburg was life changing in many ways. I love the entire recreation of life in the 1700s and 1800s. In addition to the wonderful architecture and the enchanting furnishings, I discovered what the colonist called “everlastings.” Everlastings are dried flowers placed in beautiful arrangements so that during the dreary winter months the memories of beautiful flowers can be preserved.
My mom, Inez Norton, is the queen of dried flowers. She always jokes and says you better look fast if you want to see the flowers in the garden; she will have them hanging to dry faster than you can blink. I asked her one time if larkspur is a reseeding plant. She laughed and said, “I have no idea. I pick the flowers before I give them time to reseed.” There is a lot of truth in that. So she plants seeds every year just to be sure she has a beautiful bed of flowers.
Roses are so easy to dry. I hang mine upside down and just leave them alone. But I usually wait until right before the petals are ready to drop unless I want to preserve a rose in bud. All summer long, Mom and I both look for beautiful blossoms to dry; when we have enough (or the boxes are running over) Mom makes beautiful arrangements or refreshes older arrangements. Sometimes you just need to throw them away because they become so brittle they crumble.
The photos I am sharing with you today are the arrangements in my home that Mom made. I just love everlastings. There is something so elegant to me about dried flower arrangements. The colonists really knew how to bring beauty inside to enjoy long after growing season. While it is still winter, spring will be coming soon. So think about drying some of your favorite flowers to enjoy next winter.
Have you ever made an arrangement with dried flowers?
I’d love to hear about it!
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