Silica gel has the same consistency as sand and when you buy it it will be blue, however as you use it it will slowly turn white which shows the gel is full of moisture. The poem paints images of lakes, fields, trees, stars in Ullswater. Wordsworth continuously praises the daffodils, comparing them to the Milky Way galaxy (in the second stanza), their dance (in the third stanza) and in the concluding stanza, dreams to join the daffodils in their dance. Use of colors i.e. white (cloud), green (hills), blue (lake), silver (stars) etc. enhance the picturesque. The poem starts in pessimism (author’s loneliness) and ends in optimism (pleasure of watching daffodils). Thus, Wordsworth’s imagination is a major factor of romanticism.

Ahead of aquilegia the crocus is the very first flower I put in my flower press in spring. Small and unassuming crocuses look great displayed in large multiples arranged in rows or randomly. Conclusion If you want to ensure your newly dried flowers last even longer, spray them with a surface sealer and leave them to dry. Third stanza is the continuation of how along with the flowers, the water in the lake too moved, as if they were competing with each other in the dance. But the glee flowers won and the sparkling lake lost. Finding their playfulness, the author couldn’t stop himself from joining their company. The author kept staring at both of them, wondering how his sad mood changed into a happy one. The daffodils and lake’s dance bought him a wealth that he couldn’t deny. The mesmerizing flowers gained a place in his heart he couldn’t understand but felt. Top Tip: Any petals lost in the process of drying can be mixed with essential oils and added to potpourri. Shop Roses Air Drying Flowers

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Place something heavy on top of the book, and wait around two to four weeks and voila! You are done. To do this, lay your flowers between two pieces of parchment paper. Turn on your iron, and hold it over the flowers for around 10 seconds. Let them cool, then take a look at the results! Fred adds, 'Try drying your plant specimen next to a radiator or central heating boiler if you have one - these provide a nice flow of warm air. Even warming the newspaper before using it helps drive moisture off.' Many guides will recommend only using heavy books, but we’ve found that you can use almost any book - just place heavier books on top! Just make sure the weight is evenly distributed across the area of the book being used to press. No idea how to press flowers? Catherine Brant, founder of Precious Petals, is here to talk through the basics of getting started, with handy tips for using household items to create beautiful results. How to press flowers: an easy guide Selecting the flowers

Remember that as they dry the stems will shrink, so make sure they don’t slip through whatever you have tied them up with. Pressing DaffodilsAsides from the microwave itself, this method does also require additional equipment such as silica sand and a microwave safe container you won't be using for food again. Silica Sand for Drying Flowers Personification and Simile: I wander’d lonely as a cloud– The first line makes nice use of personification and simile. The poet assumes himself to be a cloud (simile) floating in the sky. When Wordsworth says in the second line ‘I’ (poet as a cloud) look down at the valleys and mountains and appreciate the daffodils; it’s the personification, where an inanimate object (cloud) possesses the quality of a human enabling it to see the daffodils. If you want to press a succulent plant or something with a large stem, use kitchen roll to absorb the extra moisture that comes out on the first day, and throw it away. Ditto if you are trying to press multiple specimens at once. Place the kitchen roll so that it is an extra layer outside of the newspaper. You could also consider cutting the plant stem in half. Vase drying is the ideal method for larger blooms as you’ll need to manipulate them less and they can basically dry themselves! This method can be great for achieving a little more vibrancy than simply air drying, while still being very low effort. All you need to do is leave the stems in a few inches of water and leave them until dry. You may have had this accidentally happen with a decorative bouquet left unattended. Tossing their heads in sprightly dance– use of personification, daffodils are tossing their heads like humans, expressing their emotion of happiness through dance (it gives liveliness to the poem).

We have outlined some methods for drying your daffodils above and, as with many things, it is always a case of trial and error to find what works best for you. This can take anything from a handful of days to a couple of weeks depending upon the conditions in your room.It does however take longer to have an effect and you will need to leave your daffodils covered in it for two weeks. There are two main methods you can use to preserve your flowers: drying and pressing. Drying a flower will retain its shape while removing moisture that would lead to decomposition. Pressing flowers removes this moisture by literally pressing it out of the flower, leaving them paper thin. The warm air of the dehydrator creates a wonderful fluffy effect for dried thistles and cornflowers. If you’re using your flowers in food preparation or decoration, this method is recommended (and of course, make sure your flowers are fit for consumption before trying this!) Drying Flowers in a Vase A bubbly mushroom shape in appearance, surprisingly, muscari press well and offer a silhouette like no other flower. Aquilegia

If you're trying to press a bulkier plant, add extra paper and card to ensure that every part of the plant and flower is being directly pressed, to avoid bits shrivelling up. As a rule of thumb, air drying seems to work well for smaller flowers, but as flowers get larger it can shrivel them.

If however you think your life is just too busy right now for flower pressing, herbarium-themed pressed flower prints would add instant sophistication to your walls. What Glue To Use With Kids You can also buy flower presses for this purpose, but I find a phone book is equally effective and cheaper! Pressed flowers prefer a dark environment where sunlight can’t fade their colours. I keep my flowers in the press for a s long as possible, ideally until I’m ready to use them. However, it’s not always possible when pressing many flowers for craft and business purposes. In this instance I like to put store mine in recycled plastic take away containers and put them in a dark cupboard. I layer up little sheets of paper with my pressed flowers to store them; this works particularly well for smaller flowers. 9. Understand The Lifespan Of A Pressed Flower Aside from your daffodil, the main objects you will need are a microwaveable container and a desiccant, silica gel as mentioned above or even cat litter will work well.