I have these ferns growing out of a rock wall running though my yard and I got the idea of maybe using some of the parts of the leaves for plants in a diorama. My question is since leaves dry up and die, is there a way to preserve them? I don't want to dry them out like flowers, just make it where they will hold their shape and won't fall apart. I don't care if it will cause the color to fade since I can always paint them. Is this a practical thing to do, or should I just give up on the idea?

Since i have experimented with some plants preserving operations in the past i can say 2 words on that .
IT DEPENDS on THE PLANT
u can never know from the start what will be after 2-35- months if u dont try to preserve it. i ve used 3M Fixative glue in spray to give 4-5 coats in some and they were saved . They got hardened but saved colour and shape. In some other very soft plants these didnt worked.
I va also dipped some plants in glykerine and then sprayed them with hairspray and also worked . But for some tiny colourfoul.flowers i tried 3-4 different methods they all failed .
So unless someone has tried and made it to preserve the specific kind u talk about, the answer is try some of the above or other that people will suggest to find what works best .I ve also heard people dipping plants to future to preserve them and then giving them dull coats over to make them look matt. havent tried that so far .......

Costas

Hi Brad,

I just happen to be fiddling around with preserving various plants, tropical ones anyway. As Major Goose said, a lot of it has to do with the plant.

I use a mixture of Glycerin and water and I used it mostly on soft weeds like ferns and the occasional pine. Although the literature out there suggests a 1:3 mix of Glycerin:Water I find the mix too viscous usually suffocating the plant material before it absords enough glycerin. A 1:5 even upto 1:10 mix is better, so far my fern leaves have remain pliable upto 3 months now.

Pluck the stuff in the morning before it gets too hot (before 9.00am over here). Remove any soil particles and dip it in the mix as soon as possible after plucking, otherwise you will have to cut the stem. Soft weeds can be dipped whole. Small branches need a diagonal cut to expose as much absorption area as possible.

The duration varies with the plant. I've found soft weeds need about 2-3 days or so while woodies probably need 3 to 4 days. Place in airy and lighted area but not direct sunlight to stimulate transpiration, the process in which glycerin get sucked up to the tissues along with the water. The trick is to swirl the container occassionally to ensure aeration otherwise the dipped end will rot and the plant won't have absorbed enough glycerin.

If the water gets gunky and smell bad you'll need to change it with a new batch of mix coz besides the plant rotting the Missus will probably throw you and the smelly concoction out of the house.

After the dipping phase, drain and dry under shade your material and paint if desired. Oh! you might want to consider not doing this in the kitchen if your'e married because for some strange reason women don't appreciate fauna in the kitchen.

Beachbum i think u have made an excellent case on plant preserving. i ll think i d try the exact way u propose to see results. Thanks for that

Costas

Thanks for the info guys.

Anytime Costas, its always an honor to assist a veteran brigadier. By the way, don't forget the "working in the kitchen part" .

More seriously though, what ruins the plant is usually the dipped end rotting before the plant's absorb sufficient glycerin. Here's a website if your'e really into preserving plants(I think their mix of 1:3 is still too concentrated)

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/mf2446.pdf

thanks a lot beeing so kind and ifnormative..Nice site also
Costas