The moon waxes, we wax our cars, and at homecoming you can wax nostalgic,
but we are going to talk about waxing camellias! These lovely, cool-weather
beauties should begin blooming soon and waxing the flowers will add a new
dimension of enjoyment to camellia season.
Waxing camellias is taking the bloom and literally dipping it into
paraffin wax to coat and preserve the flower. The flower takes on a porcelain
luster and remains fresh looking without water for about a week. Waxing works
best on the white, pink, and variegated varieties (red petals seem to look too
waxy). Several people have asked me about waxing sasanquas, and I certainly
think it’s worth a try, but the sasanqua petal is often thinner than a camellia
petal so it might not work as well.
Some of the most beautiful waxed camellias I’ve ever seen were done by
the Camellia Club of Mobile, Alabama, so I went straight to their website, www.mobilecamellia.org, for
directions. Their site also has great photographs so check it out before you
get started. Also, be careful! Paraffin wax is very flammable so do not heat it
over an open flame and working with hot wax requires caution.
Materials
- paraffin (Gulf Wax) wax (canning
section of the grocery store}
- mineral oil (grocery story or drug
store)
- large bowl of ice water (get it cold
and take out the ice)
- clock with a second hand
- candy or digital thermometer
(accurate temperature is critical)
- fresh, dry camellia blooms
Note- A crock pot and
a fry daddy will not work because they get too hot. For best results (if you
plan to do this a lot) buy a pot (similar to an electric frying pan but
deeper) with a temperature control. Rival makes one.
Process
1. Heat the wax
and mineral oil to 140 degrees. Temperature is
CRITICAL. If any cooler, the wax will become the globby (scientific term)
and bead up on the petals. If any hotter, the wax will scorch the bloom and
petals will turn brown. Digital or candy thermometers will work.
Don’t even think about using a meat thermometer. It is not accurate enough.
2. Apply the
wax - Holding the stem, with the leaves
pulled back, and cupping the base of the petals with your fingertips, gently
dip the bloom into the wax Using a side-sweeping motion rather than pushing it
straight in. Keep in only a couple seconds - just enough to coat it and then remove
it. Give it a couple gentle shakes to eliminate excess wax.
3. Set the wax – Immediately dip the bloom into a bowl of ice water (take
out the ice cubes). This sets the wax and cools the bloom. Move the bloom
in from the side instead of pushing straight down in the water. If you push
straight down, it makes the petals fold back and looks unnatural. It also helps
if you hold the outer petals down with your fingers to keep them in place as
you put the bloom in the ice water. Leave mine in the ice water for about 20-30
seconds. You can let them float in the ice water until the time is up. Make
sure you periodically remove the small glops of wax from the ice water. They
will stick to blooms you put in later.
4. Place the
bloom on a newspaper and allow to dry and
harden.
Wax and oil - You
will to need to mix enough so the wax mixture is deeper than the largest bloom
you put into it. Once you do this, you will probably be hooked and want to mix
up a lot. It is habit forming! You can keep the pot ready and use it anytime by
reheating it. Here is what you will need for specific amounts of wax:
|
.5 lb. wax .25 c oil
|
1.0 lb. wax .5 c oil
|
|
2.0 lb. wax 1.0 c oil
|
3.0 lb. wax 1.5 c oil
|
|
4.0 lb. wax 2.0 c oil
|
5.0 lb. wax 2.5 c oil
|
Narcissus, tulip tree blooms, and roses
work well with the waxing. Hang narcissus upside
down to harden.
