Garden bounty

Dear Sandi: I know you like to gather things from the yard and garden that others might consider weeds. This last week, with the kids home from school, we took a mini-field trip, and everyone had a great time picking pods and dried grasses. The kids were so excited that I’d love some ideas on something we can do with our bounty now. Thanks. —Mandy L., Salem

Hi Mandy: You’re right, I do love to gather things — seashells, old metal parts and especially nature’s bounty. This time of year is really fascinating because we so seldom pay attention to our gardens in the winter. Quite a few of the things that appear between October and February are real surprises.

Because there is so little color in the winter garden, it is easy to ignore these goodies because they tend to blend into the rather monochromatic palette of grays, greens and browns. However, once you find, pick and bring these treasures indoors, they really can take on a new and dramatic appearance.

I don’t know just what you and your kids gathered, but I assume feathery grasses, grain heads and seed pods on stems would be good guesses. And there are lots of fun things you guys can do with your treasures now.

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If you have items that are relatively flat (leaves or grasses), they are good candidates for pressing. One of my favorite, which grows well in Oregon, is a grass called sea oats. It’s an OK addition to the garden in the summer, but in fall, when the grass heads begin to turn a silvery driftwood color, they are absolutely gorgeous. The heads are flat and press nicely. Any material that you have pressed is great for using later in handmade cards, in collage work or captured between glass and handmade paper on an old window.

If the kids are really interested in what they have found, let them make their own botanical sheets, much like those from the early 1900s that are now sold framed for a small king’s ransom.

These are easy to make: Lightly tape the flattened specimens onto a heavy, art-quality paper (art stores usually carry a special tape for this) and let the kids look up the botanical names for their finds, then print these, along with the more common name, at the bottom of the page.

It is a fun and quick project for kids, and they will be learning something at the same time.

Sandi Reinke is an author, frequent television guest and lead designer for loose ends (www.loosends.com), a Salem-based interior décor, garden, and casual lifestyle company. To ask Reinke a decorating question, e-mail info@looseends.com or mail her at the showroom address, 2065 Madrona Ave. SE, Salem, OR 97302. Phone: 503-390-2348.

I have mentioned before how you can put dried plant material on old windows, and this is a particularly good project for kids on a day home when the weather is too cold or too wet for anybody to be outside. The project is good for almost all ages.

Simply separate the egg whites from the yolks, then using a soft paintbrush or one of those inexpensive paint sponges, gently brush the egg white, fairly liberally, on the backside of the window or piece of glass that you are working with. I say gently because you do not want to “foam” the egg white, as these bubbles often will remain visible in the finished project. Place your pressed botanical material down on the wet egg white, then apply another liberal coat of egg white over the top of the plants. Place down a piece of paper, this can be handmade paper (my personal favorite), a craft paper or even tissue. One last coat of egg white and you are finished. Let the whole thing dry, then hang it somewhere where the light can shine through both the paper and your plant material. You and the kids will be fascinated.

Another great way to display some of the botanical finds is to place the pressed material between two pieces of glass or plexiglass held together with clear or metal glass fasteners. This has a clean, crisp look that is particularly good to use if you happen to have one fabulous piece that you really want to accent.

Hope this has given you a few ideas. Talk with the kids, and I’m sure that they will probably have a few of their own to add!
December 31, 2004