Green Acre: Drying Out in DC

The “Eagle’s Nest” arrangement from Roots Floral, $750.

By Stephanie Cavanaugh

I HATE dead things, says the Prince, eyeing a bunch of dried flowers. So do a lot of people. Though one might argue that cut flowers are also dead, they just don’t know it yet. 

There are a lot of dried flowers about the house. The biggest arrangement grew from a base of hydrangeas stuffed into a cast-iron urn into which I poked the remains of roses and statice and other gift flowers past. It was all simply dried in place, with the previously dried blooms supporting the newly dead, and has grown quite massive. 

Another arrangement is just hydrangeas, bursting out of an Art Deco vase that won’t hold water, so what else can you do with it?

When you air-dry flowers they’ll still have color and shape, for a while. Over months, most of the colors fade to shades that vary from white to tan. The blues of statice last the longest; I’ve kept some for many years. 

To really keep the color as well as the flower’s form, you need to use a desiccant, usually silica gel beads that gently cover the blossoms, soaking up the moisture for a week or so. You can then use them in an arrangement. There are numerous brands, and it’s easy to come by; a two-pound bag of reusable Wisedry Gel is about $17 from Amazon.*

Sounds like a great hobby if there’s another pandemic, yes? 

Which brings us to . . .  a little shop called Roots Floral, brand new to the Georgetown neighborhood of DC, that’s like wandering into a fairy tale. Massed together, centerstage, is a fantasy of flowers billowing up toward the ceiling. Among them are roses, peonies, ageratum, cabbages, and daisies in watercolor shades punctuated by moss and plumes of grasses.  

It’s hard not to gasp. 

You can buy individual stems (even one in a bud vase is a statement), gather a posy, or have the artist-owner, Joe Xui, create an arrangement for you. 

If you want to do it yourself but would like expert guidance, Joe’s offering a two-session workshop in early December, timed so you can create your own fabulous holiday centerpiece, or create one for a gift. Call him at 202-713-3534 to enroll; the shop is tiny so space is extremely limited! 

Roots Floral nests above another newcomer, Hunter & Huntress, a charming boutique of home curiosities, as interior designer Lily Zingman and her husband, Cobi Tionkin, call their collection of home accents. These are carefully curated pieces you won’t see coming and going, like wall art, bird cages, antiques, jewelry, lighting, and barware, things you’d hope a designer would find for you—and she has.

Not planning a trip to DC soon? You can also see LilyZ Designs interior work on her website, lilyzdesigns.com, and a sampling of Hunter & Huntress objets at lilyzdesigns.com/shop-hunter-huntress/.

Roots Floral (rootsfloraldc.com) is upstairs and Hunter & Huntress (the website is under construction) is on the main level at 1665 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC. 

*The Wisedry website directs you to Amazon to purchase.