How do I Dry Lamb's Ear Cuttings?

Lamb's ear has soft, light green foliage and light purple flowers.

Stachys byzantina, known to most as lamb's ear, is given its name from the lamb's ear-shaped leaves that are soft and fuzzy to the touch. Lamb's ear foliage and flower cuttings can be preserved for arrangements, potpourris or other craft projects. There are many methods by which you can dry lamb's ear, some involving the use of commercial products and others using products found at home. Dried lamb's ear adds a unique textural appearance to dried floral crafts.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Rubber band
• 2 cups borax
• Bowl
• 2 cups white cornmeal
• Spoon
• 3 tbsp. noniodized salt
• Shoe box without lid
• Spatula
• Newspaper

Instructions

1. 

   Use regular or garden scissors to harvest lamb's ear.

   Snip off lamb's ear flowers and foliage late in the morning when the flowers are dry. Choose flowers that are just beginning to open for a fresher-looking dried flower.

2. Detach large leaves from the flower stem and set them aside. Leave small leaves, close to where the flowers start, on the stems.

3. Mix 2 cups borax powder, 2 cups white cornmeal and 3 tbsp. noniodized salt in a bowl. This mixture serves as an inexpensive flower and foliage drying agent and the noniodized salt helps preserve the flower's natural color.

4. Pour half the borax mixture into a shoebox large enough to comfortably hold the flowers without having to bend them or smash them together. Lay the lamb's ear flowers and foliage in the box and arrange the flowers and leaves in the manner in which you want them to dry. Slowly cover the lamb's ear with the remainder of the borax mixture and leave the shoe box uncovered.

5. Leave the lamb's ear in the shoe box for two days. Check to see if the lamb's ear is completely dried out by carefully brushing some of the borax mixture aside. If they are not brittle to the touch, cover the flowers again and check every 24 hours until completely dried.

6. Remove the lamb's ear from the container with a spatula. Carefully, lay the dried flowers and foliage on a layer of newspaper to prepare for arranging.

Tips & Warnings

• Rather than use a drying agent, lamb's ear can be dried by hanging upside down in a cool, dry place for a few days.

• Silica gel may be used to dry lamb's ear in a sealed container.

References

• University of Missouri: Drying Flowers and Foliage for Arrangements