Pampas grass not only looks very decorative in pots and beds. The dry stalks are also an absolute eye-catcher at home in a vase. We explain how you can dry and dye the pampas grass. So nothing stands in the way of making a creative autumn decoration!
Drying pampas grass: When do you cut the stalks?
Decorating with pampas grass is one of the most beautiful retro trends. In the 70s and 80s, dried pampas grass adorned many living rooms. Nowadays, decoration is making a real comeback and brings a Scandinavian touch into your own four walls. Together with a ceramic vase with a simple shape, the grass forms a particularly effective ensemble that exudes a touch of nostalgia.
If you like pampas grassIf you want to use it for decorative purposes, you should cut the stalks immediately after the flowers have formed, around October - November. You can cut 3 to 5 stalks from a plant. You should use a sharp knife or sharp secateurs. Also wear gardening gloves to protect your hands from the leaves.
Proceed as follows:
- Cut the stalks close to the ground.
- Remove all leaves and flowers from the bottom of the stems. Shorten them to the desired length.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Tie several stalks together with twine or dental floss at the bottom of the stems. Then tie the bundles to a hanger.
- Hang the stalks in a sheltered and warm place in the house. The pantry, the glazed terrace or the winter garden are ideal.
- Allow the stalks to dry for about three weeks. Then you can use them as decoration as you wish.
Blow dry the grass blades to make them fluffy
- Then shake the stalks very lightly.
- To keep the pampas grass fluffy for as long as possible, you can blow-dry the stalks on the lowest setting. Move the hairdryer slowly and carefully from bottom to top.
- The dry blades of grass are very brittle. You can fix the pampas grass with hairspray. (if you want to dye the grass, then this step can be omitted).
- Display the blades of grass in a glass vase. Protect them from direct sunlight and high humidity.
Dyeing pampas grass: This is how it's done!
After preserving the pampas grass, you can dye it. This means you can get blades of grass in different accent colors such as orange, pink, white, etc. The so-called candy colors are particularly popular. The color palette includes various pastel shades that can brighten up the interior. If you like this decoration, you can also dye the dried pampas grass yourself. You need the following materials:
- Aluminum bucket or an old pot
- a brush, flat
- Newspaper
- dry blades of grass
- white acrylic paint and other acrylic paints of your choice
- a dab of dishwashing liquid
- Water
To do this, do the following:
- Take the dried stalks and blow-dry them from bottom to top on the lowest setting to make them as fluffy as possible.
- Even ifThey already driedOnce you have bought straws, you can blow dry them. (As long as the manufacturer doesn't say otherwise, of course. It's best to find out more about this in the shop).
- Always wear rubber gloves. Take a deep bucket or old pot and fill it with water. Boil the water briefly and first dissolve the white acrylic paint into the water. Then add the second shade as desired (the less color you add, the lighter the grass will be).
- Add another dab of dishwashing liquid to the water. Mix the whole thing with the flat brush.
- Then submerge the grasses upside down into the bucket and then remove them. Distribute the paint with the brush so that all stalks are evenly colored.
- Hang them upside down in a sunny place to dry. Don't forget to line the area under the grass with newspaper.
Our tip: You can prepare several containers and produce different shades of one color. The brightly colored pink pampas grass also looks great in combination with other dried flowers and grasses.
