Preserving Boxwood Branches

I love the look of dried boxwood.  I bought this one awhile ago and have always wanted another one or 2 and of course a wreath.  But if you have ever bought real dried boxwood you know they are not cheap.  My mom has a large hedge of boxwoods that line her property so I decided to figure out how to dry them correctly and put them to good use!

You will need:

Boxwood branches the more the better

Glycerin, I purchased mine at Walmart for $3.50

Green food coloring, I used the gel dye

Hot Water 

And a bucket for them to soak in

After you have pruned your boxwood branches take a hammer and hit the end of the branch.  This helps the branches to really soak up the dye and glycerin.

Next you are going to mix 1 part glycerin with 2 parts HOT water.  

(make sure your water is hot, this will help the glycerin and water mix together)

My bottle of glycerin was 6 oz so I added 12 oz  (1 1/2 cups) of hot water and a teaspoon of food coloring.  Mix well until the glycerin and water mix together.  Let your solution cool before adding it to your boxwood branches.  

After it is all mixed I added it to my bucket full of boxwood.  

Let your boxwoods soak for 1 to 2 weeks, until the solution is gone.  

After the solution is gone, I let mine sit for a few more weeks to dry out before I make them into anything!  

 This current batch has about another week left until I can start making a wreath.  All of this waiting is killing me, but it is worth it in the end.  Stay tuned for the final product!

TTFN

Brooke