Here is a creative idea! Create a pinecone tree using a cone-shaped foam base and then insert picks downward into the foam, starting at the bottom with the largest cones and working to the top with the smaller ones. Conceal the foam by tucking sheet moss among the pinecones and before you know it you will have a beautifully unique Pinecone Tree !

In a recent article by Bethany Lyttle she gives her advice on how to dry Hydrangeas:

• “The best type of Peegee hydrangea is the standard tree form, not the bush,” she explains. “Longer branches mean blooms. In French Quebec, the Peegee variety is know as Quatre Saisons (Four Seasons), because the flower goes through four stages of color — white to green to pink and to brown.”
• “You know they’re ready to pick for drying when a burgundy tone forms on the tips and the flowers on the branch overall are firm to the touch.”
• “I look for only those hydrangeas that have a defined conical shape. It’s an appealing look and they hold that shape.”
• “Because of their pronounced weight, I hang them upside down to dry. The green and burgundy tones stay vibrant for up to a year. Beyond that, they then turn an appealing beige color.”

Here’s the great cover-up. Use flowers to hide unsightly flaws. A ding on your living room wall? Put a table in front and a container of flowers to mask it until you have the time to repair and paint. A water stain on your mahogany side table? Cover it with a container of your favorite cut stems. The possibilities are as many and varied as there are flowers.

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