Dried Flowers: Drying Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a tree of various qualities. It gives a lot of beneficial and essential oils, which people use for making a lot of medicines. The dried eucalyptus has attained a lot of acceptance nowadays. There are varieties of eucalyptus, among which Eucalyptus globulus is very common. People also call them “Tasmanian Blue Gum” tree. Eucalyptus can be easily dried and preserved. Drying eucalyptus has become a way of simply preserving them. The dried eucalyptus that we see in many stores is actually dried and preserved using glycerin.
There are many methods and techniques to choose from. Many of them also employ air-drying technique. Here we will discuss upon the techniques of air-drying eucalyptus and drying using glycerin. In fact air-drying is the simplest method of drying eucalyptus. It just involves hanging a group of stems together in an upside down position. You must keep it in a well-ventilated, dark, dry room. Always make sure that the room, which you place them, does not have any humidity or any kind of dampness.
This will lead to the growth of mold, which will in turn spoil the leaves. You can use a rubber band to bundle them or tie them up. This will make them tight when the material shrinks. It will take about two to three weeks and gives the leaves a much more stiffer look and structure. The other common method of drying the eucalyptus is by using the glycerin. Add one part of the glycerin to two parts boiling water to a vase and place the fresh cut eucalyptus leaves. The glycerin, which you have added, enters into the stems. It will allow the branches and leaves to preserve the flexibility and will become supple when dry.
By using glycerine, we will let the leaves to maintain their green color. You will get this glycerine at drugstores and some craft stores. You can use even both drying methods. You can hang the eucalyptus leaves cuttings after putting the glycerin by the method described above to ensure that they are completely dry. If you will only use hanging method then you may find some brittleness in the leaves. These are the methods of air-drying and drying with glycerine.
