STRAW PLANT

Hi yes you are correct! They are lovely flowers , many colours, some small and some the size of a 50p or even larger! The great thing about Helichrysum is the flowers are everlasting! Cut them from the parent plant and hang them upside down,tie with raffia or elastic band and hang them somewhere warm [ airing cuboard etc] It will take only a week or two , depending on the heat, to dry , then arrange them in a vase [ or cut the heads off and glue them to a collage perhaps?] Make sure the stems are dry though otherwise the heads will drop!If you can get hold of some contorted willow, they go great together, the willow will dry naturally, no water required. Lynda

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Helichrysum bracteatum - I used to grow these, love the things, still have some in my pot pourri, just the flowers though. I never found the stems dried well, so I used to use green coated fine wire and insert that into the flower head and stand in a vase (for years, if they didn't get dusty). If you want to keep them like that, cut just as the flowers start to open. Lovely plants, annual though, surprised they made it through the winter...

Thanks for the information Lynda and Bamboo. My neighbour has had the main plant (in a pot) out on his patio all winter and he too, was surprised it survived the winter as it does say 'annual' on the pot!