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Drying Ornamental Grass Plumes

One of the great benefits of ornamental grasses is their plumes. You can dry the plumes and bring these beauties right inside you home! The plumes will last for years.

Grasses are extremely easy to dry. Cut the plumes to the desired length just as the plumes are fresh and the foliage has not yet started to turn brown for the winter. Bundle together the stalks. You can use 'quick-ties' to secure the bundles. Hang upside down in the garage to dry. Most will even maintain a lot of their foliage color. For example, Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus' will continue to sport the color of its horizontal bands.

If you’re into flower arranging, grass plumes are a great addition! You can have your own abundant supply of these beauties by planning ahead now and planting grasses with the plumes that you like.

Picking
Pick the flowers that are most spread out from the leaves of the plant. The more mature the flower is on the the plant, the more likely the seeds will fall apart as the head dries. When the male anther appears on the flower it is a sign to pick the flower because the flower is at its highest point of the flowering period.

Drying
Gather up a few flowers and wrap the stems around with a string. Then hang upside down in a well-ventillated, dark and dry room. The flowers will dry in 7 to 14 days. When the stems are dry and brittle, it is time they are taken down and put in arrangement The sun can cause fading of the colors of the plumes and high temperatures will induce shattering of seeds. It is a good idea to check the hung flowers every day to see if there are stems that slip out from the string band.

Dyeing
Ornamental grasses can be dyed with a coloring agent such as stamp pad ink sold in stationary and book stores, clothing dyes sold in department stores, and aniline dyes. A mordant should be used to help stick the colors from the dye solution to the flowers. Examples of mordants: alum (sold in drug stores), stannous chloride and acetic acid.

Aninline Dye Solution For every 1 quart of water: 1/2 teaspoon aninline dye 8 teaspoons alum or 1 teaspoon acetic acid

Clothing Dye Solution For every 1 quart of water: 2-4 oz. clothing dye, and 8 teaspoons alum or 1 teaspoon acetic acid

Stamp Pad Ink Solution For every 1 quarter of water: 2 1.2 oz. bottles of ink 8 teaspoons alum or 1 teaspoon acetic acid

Use a deep, narrow container to dye the flowers. Dissolve mordant in water until water boils. Next, add the dye and continue heating water temperature to about 200 F, while dyeing the flowers. Hold the heads upside down and dip them into the solution until the color gets onto the flowers. Then, remove from the solution and gently shake off excess water. Put the flowers on a dry newspaper or hang upside down to dry (1-2 days).

Ornamental Grasses for the cutting garden.