Gardening: Hold on to some fall color by preserving leaves

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. The colorful leaves falling from the trees signal the end of the growing season. The sun is casting longer shadows and the days are getting shorter. Between the sun’s golden light and the colorful fall leaves, it’s a magical time of year.

Our temperatures are beginning to drop signaling the trees to start drawing down their energy into their roots. Photosynthesis ceases as the days shorten, and the frosts arrive, causing the green chlorophyll to be drawn out of the leaves leaving behind pigments that reflect yellow, orange and red light. Knowing that the gray skies and snowy weather are not far off, I like to capture some of the color by preserving some of the more colorful leaves I run across.

Preserving fall leaves is easy and a great activity for the whole family. Start by collecting leaves as they reach their peak color anywhere you find them. Leaves from trees in the sun usually have better color. Plan on processing them quickly as they will start shriveling up within a day. Use one of the online plant identification apps to identify your leaves to add to the fun and education for the kids.

Leaves can be preserved by layering them between pieces of scrap printer paper, newsprint or in the pages of an old phone book if you still have one around. Weight the papers down with heavy objects like books or bricks and leave them for several weeks until the leaves have completely dried. Once dried, the leaves will be fragile but colorful.

Leaves can be ironed between layers of wax paper and then cut out to make translucent sun catchers for windows. Place fresh leaves between two layers of wax paper and then cover everything with an old towel. Using a low iron, gently iron the leaves until the wax paper fuses together enough to encapsulate the leaves. Because wax paper can catch fire easily, be sure to use as low a temperature on the iron as possible and supervise children during the activity.

If you want leaves that are pliable and can be handled for a long time, try soaking them in a mixture of water and glycerin. Glycerin is a nontoxic substance that absorbs moisture and therefore tends to soften things it is used in. Mix two parts water with one part glycerin. Pour over the leaves in a flat pan covering them completely. If the leaves float, place another heavy pan on top of them. Leave them for up to six days. The leaves slowly absorb the solution and become soft and flexible. Glycerin is available at drug stores for a nominal cost.

Fragile dried leaves can be glued onto note cards for a one-of-a-kind gift. Waxed paper leaves can be cut out and used to create sun catchers in windows or incorporated into a mobile or simply scatter them on the Thanksgiving table. Pliable glycerin leaves can be used as sun catchers or anywhere where durability is needed.