In the Garden: Capture the beauty of your garden with flower art
Transfer the beauty of favorite flowers onto paper or fabric to create works of art, greeting cards, and gifts for family and friends. Pounding flowers is a fun and easy way gardeners of all ages can preserve the beauty of garden flowers.
Use watercolor or other rough surface paper when pounding on paper. Purchase ready to dye (RTD) or prepared for dying (PFD) fabric or prepare the fabric yourself. Supplies and directions can be found at most craft stores.
Prepare the space before pounding flowers onto paper or fabric. Use a large cutting board or piece of wood to protect the furniture below. Consider moving the project outside onto the sidewalk or other surface that can’t be damaged by the pounding.
Cover the work surface with wax paper and secure it in place with masking tape to prevent the flower color from soaking through onto the cutting board. Cut the fabric to size and secure it or the paper to the board with masking tape.
Take a walk through the garden and gather a few favorite flowers and leaves. Look for flowers with thin brightly colored petals and leaves for the easiest and best results. Consider starting with rose, daisy, geranium, petunia and pansy petals although any flowers and leaves can work. Remove or reduce the size of the large center of coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and similar blooms so they lay flat on the fabric. Or remove the petals, discard the center, and arrange as desired.
Remove stems, sepals or other plant parts you do not want to transfer. Place the desired parts face down on the paper or fabric and arrange as desired.
Once the design is set, cover it with several layers of paper towel or another sheet of watercolor paper. Tape the leaves and petals in place on fabric to help reduce the risk of the petals moving during the pounding process.
Gently tap the leaves and flowers using the flat side of a hammer. Next, evenly hammer from one side of the design to the other, making sure to hit every part of each plant.
Once the color is transferred, lift the paper covering and remove the crushed flowers and leaves from the paper along with the tape from the fabric. Allow the design to dry and carefully brush off any remaining plant pieces.
Set the design on fabric using an iron set to the hottest setting without steam. This sets the colors but will not make it washable. Preserve the bright colors of works of art on paper with a UV protective acrylic spray. Be sure to read and follow label directions and apply in a well-ventilated area.
Pounding flowers is a simple way to transfer a plant’s natural dye onto paper or fabric. Plan to get together with family and friends to create works of art, greeting cards and more. For more gardening projects, visit MelindaMyers.com.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine, and her website is MelindaMyers.com, which features gardening videos, free webinars, monthly gardening tips, and more.
