summertime is upon us , in all its glory and lushness . Along withtomatoesandcukesthat are beginning to set yield are a fertile amount ofweeds . I ’m setting up a Modern craft studio apartment with rampart begging for palm , so I decided to cut into up some of those weeds to press and frame as homemade wall décor .
While it ’s moderately trendy to press and hang plant and bloom as ornamentation , this conception comes from an ages - old drill of catalogue botanical . The Egyptians get going document plants centuries ago , and in the 16th C , the University of Bologna in Italy took a systemic approaching , pressing plants and mount up them on tack of composition or keep them in alcoholic beverage . later on , Carl Linnaeus in Sweden , who became know as the father of taxonomy , created anherbariumand identify the species and genus of plants from around the world .
Hanging on the wall , the colour of pressed plants will pass off over time , but the structure and intent will remain . If you require to preserve the colouring material , you may photograph or scan and print your employment . I ’m more of an creative person and less of a scientist , so I love the design and texture the tangible thing provides .
Here ’s what you need to do to make your own adjure - plant wall art .
What You’ll Need:
Step 1
Choose a time when your flora of choice has buds and bloom . Collect the plants with a garden fork to preserve the roots .
Step 2
cautiously remove the grime from the plants , and mildly rinse them . position them on towel to dry out and wilt .
Step 3
Press the dry out plants in a plant pressing or between newspapers weighted with operose playscript for one to two weeks , depending on the heaviness of the plant .
Step 4
Attach the pressed plant to enceinte , acid - free newspaper ( I used mat board ) with tiny drops of blanched glue . I crush out a small amount of glue into a peach and used a toothpick to strategically give it to each stem turn and efflorescence . try out the adhesiveness by gently foul up on the works — you will see shoes you missed .
Step 5
Make an designation label with the name of the works , both common and scientific nomenclature , appointment of aggregation , place of collection , and name of the collector . you’re able to add any other banknote , such as how the plant is used , abundance of growth , acquire habit and distinctive fragrance . Traditionally the recording label is attached to the lower right hand turning point , but as this is an art projection , you could get more originative .
Step 6
If you want to couch your pressed plant , use ultraviolet light - protected glass and a glass spacer so the glass does n’t touch it . I forewent frame and simply punched holes in the top of the mat panel and string up it with hemp twine as a hanger — unsophisticated and appropriate for my space .
If you ’re weigh plant for reference aim , file in your herbariam ( this can be a three - gang - ligature or filing cabinet folder ) and put in in a cool , dry , gloomy expanse to preserve the industrial plant as long as potential .
This is a fun undertaking to do alone or with shaver . you’re able to send the tyke on a pack rat hunt for merriment and interesting plants on your prop that catch their eyes , whether it be weed , native blossom or herbaceous plant . employ this as an chance to babble about folio shapes , root word , stem construction and flowers .
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