A Guide to everything you wanted to know about this unique flower. How to grow, how to use as a cut flower and how to dry it to make it into an everlasting beauty.
Honeywort is a unique flower with many hidden secrets!
This is one of the most unique flowers I've ever grown. The silvery blue leaves and the shape of the drooping flower head intrigued me. Although easy to start from seed, this temperamental beauty fell to the bottom of my list to use in mixed bouquets. I left the patch unattended and completely ignored my first year with full intentions to cut it from my next year's growing plan. I may have given up on this flower, but it didn't give up on me!
It came back all on it's own, just as bold and beautiful as before, and I didn't do a single thing! Now, you have my interest! What else can you do?
In this article, I'll share with you what I've learned about how to get these plants started and keep them going, how to use this determined survivor as a cut flower, and the methods of drying I experimented with to turn them into a beautiful and interesting everlasting cut.
Starting Honeywort from Seed - Couldn't be Easier!
Honeywort seeds are about the size of a small rock! In the seed world, that makes this seed a giant! Just like most seeds, I started indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost date on heat and under lights. They grew fuss free and the baby plant were transitioned to the outdoors and grew like expected.
Now, like I said before, I left the plants unattended and they went to seed. The seeds dropped and replanted themselves. They survived the winter and came back taller and stronger than ever!
Using the Blooms as a Cut Flower in Bouquets
The stems will be ready to cut in mid to late spring when the tops start to turn a dark purple. If you wait too long and see seeds, it's too late!
Note that these divas need an extra step before you can add them to your mixed bouquets.
You need to sear the cut end with a flame or dunk them in boiling water for 10 seconds. I use the gas burner in our kitchen, then place them in cool water. This step encourages the uptake of water so they will stay hydrated. If done properly, they can last 7-10 days.
For me, searing every stem individually is a task I choose not to do. So I don't use them in my everyday market bouquets. I do use them and love them when I dry them for the off season!
Drying Honeywort to use as an Everlasting Bloom
Now here is where Honeywort really shines in my opinion. It dries as a beautiful silvery blue stem that is hard to match by any other dried flower. But, I wanted to preserve the "shrimp-like" curve at the top.
I scoured the Internet to find the best way to dry Honewort stems to use as an everlasting flower and found NOTHING! So, I did my own experiment and here is what I found out.
Drying Upright in a Vase As Is
Why not try? To maintain the curve, maybe I can dry them just as they are in a vase. Well, I would call it an FAIL!
Drying Flat on Butcher Paper
I laid each stem on its side and left them there for 10 days. It took up a lot of space on the table. They did dry and they did maintain the "shrimp" curve. Not bad, but a little flat.
Drying by the method of Hanging Upside down
Typically, flowers are hung in small bundles upside down in a cool, dark location until dried. Here is the bundle I hung. These stems lost the curve at the top, but the stems seemed more robust and fuller. So this is the winner in my opinion!
So There You Have It!
Give Honeywort a try! There's no other bloom quite like it. I've found a deep, silvery blue connection with this flower and will look forward to its diva style appearance in my flower field.
Comment below to give me your thoughts about this mysterious flower!
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