Cattails Bouquets, Preserve Cattails & Autumn Leaves Easily! Floral & Forage Decor

[@Gumby1978]

My mother always used Aquanet hairspray. I can’t believe I remembered that detail.

[@jamierhf]

Great video, thank you!

[@TheTinkerersWife]

Oh goodness, the memories this stirred up for me. My mom and I used to gather cattails and sprayed them with Aquanet too, but did so while they were still uncut so exploding heads were less of an issue in the car. We also gathered the pretty and large seed heads of salsify. They look like giant dandelion seed heads and wishes can be made from them too. These my mom would spray with paint in the color she had chosen for that year PRIOR to cutting the stems. This stopped them from falling apart and those parachutes floating away. Milkweed pods were another we gathered and pretty grasses with their near ripe seeds. The cottony insides were fun to blow and watch float like little clouds across the field. I still gather all kinds of plants for drying, I love the forms and textures and muted colores of some of them. I didn't know about the furniture wax trick. I've used glycerin taken up by the branches that still hold leaves, and those last forever too. Color changes in the leaves though so I'm going to have to give the wax a try. I bet bees wax or encaustic medium would work too being mostly beeswax. Another creative way to use cattails that I learned at age 10... the base of cattails is edible and quite delicious. The heads of the cattail themselves are edible when still green, and I recommend anyone interested check out the videos on how to gather those too. Cooking, the other way to create with foraged plant materials. We so often walk by so many things that are good for decoration, for food and many other practical uses.

[@rebent1016]

Thanks for this .

[@cheriemajor1073]

Very informative. Thank you

[@stephaniemeadows6796]

We have them that fly everywhere. Picked some this year so I can use them thanks for making this video

[@LoveForACountryHouse]

This year I finally spotted the "pencil" cattails. I was like, "STOP THE CAR." lol!

[@peacefish4422]

Thanks for a video that gets straight to the point. :-)

[@cocinandoaloboricuaconwilm2792]

I got some cattails to make an arrangement for a friend's baby shower and they looked amazing. But 9 days later, the seeds began to explode. I spray painted some with Design Master Rose Gold. But I had to throw them away to avoid a disaster at home. It was very sad to have to do that because they looked pretty.

[@stephenallison1522]

HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO DRY THEM?

[@LoveForACountryHouse]

You won't have to dry them.They are already dry. You can spray them immediately. We just picked a green one this month, and it turned brown after we sprayed it. The moisture, if any, can escape through the bottom of its hollow stem. -- Stephie