The Botanical Care Guide

From our gardens to your home. A little knowledge to help nature stay.

The Botanicals We Grow & The Botanicals We Choose

Our gardens are the heart of Imaginary Meadows, but they are not the boundary of our botanical curiosity.

Throughout the growing season, we tend our gardens with preservation in mind. From the first seeds sown in spring to the final harvests of autumn, we select botanicals for their character, texture, and ability to carry the beauty of a season forward.

Through our Garden-to-Preservation™ practice, we harvest and preserve these botanicals using patient, time-honoured techniques that allow us to enjoy their natural beauty long after the growing season has passed.

But nature has much more to offer than any single garden can grow.

We thoughtfully source complementary preserved botanicals from specialist growers and suppliers whose practices and quality standards align with our own. Delicate foliage, beautiful roses, architectural Protea, and other botanical discoveries bring new textures, forms, and possibilities to our work.

Every botanical, whether grown in our gardens or carefully sourced, must earn its place through its natural character, quality, and contribution to the finished piece.

The result is a collection of botanical compositions guided by the seasons, shaped by nature, and created to be lived with.

Caring for Your Everlasting Botanicals

One of the loveliest qualities of preserved botanicals is how little they ask of us. They require no watering, no sunlight, and no daily tending. Just a thoughtful place in your home and a little care from time to time.

Find a place away from direct sunlight.

Just as sunlight changes the colours of flowers in the garden, prolonged exposure can gradually soften the colours of preserved botanicals. A place with gentle, indirect light will help maintain their appearance.

Keep them away from moisture.

Preserved botanicals are intended for dry, indoor environments. Avoid bathrooms, humid rooms, and areas where they may come into contact with water. Moisture can affect their texture, shape, and colour.

Let them rest away from heat.

Radiators, fireplaces, heating vents, and other sources of direct heat can cause botanicals to become brittle or fade more quickly.

Handle them gently.

Preserved flowers and foliage are real botanicals. Some remain beautifully flexible, while others become delicate through the preservation process. Handle your arrangement by its container or sturdy structural stems whenever possible, rather than by the flowers themselves.

A little dusting is all they need.

If dust settles over time, use a gentle puff of cool air or a soft, dry artist's brush to carefully remove it. Avoid water, cleaning products, and vigorous brushing.

No water, please.

Your Everlasting Florals are meant to be enjoyed without water. Adding water to a vase containing preserved botanicals can damage the stems and encourage deterioration.

A Note on Colour, Texture & Time

Preserved botanicals are not artificial flowers. They are real flowers and foliage, each with its own natural characteristics. No two stems are exactly alike. Some may curve gently, others may have small imperfections, and colours can vary subtly from one botanical to another. These are not flaws to be corrected. They are part of what makes each composition individual.

And while preservation allows us to enjoy botanicals far beyond their natural growing season, it does not stop time entirely. Over the years, colours may soften, textures may change, and some botanicals may become more delicate. Their longevity depends on the species, preservation method, and environment in which they are displayed.

With thoughtful care, many preserved botanical arrangements can remain beautiful for years.

We think there is something rather lovely about allowing natural materials to retain their individuality, even as they age.

A Thoughtful Place in Your Home

Your arrangement was created to become part of the everyday rituals of home. Perhaps it will live on a side table beside a favourite chair, on a bookshelf among well-loved books, or on a dining table where family and friends gather.

Choose a place where it can be enjoyed without frequent handling, away from strong sunlight, excess moisture, and curious little hands or paws.

Some preserved botanicals and their treatments may be harmful if eaten. They are intended for decorative use only and should be kept out of reach of children and pets.

Wherever your arrangement finds its place, we hope it brings a little of the natural world into the moments that make a house feel like home.

When the Seasons Change

Unlike fresh flowers, your Everlasting Florals do not need to be replaced with each passing season. You may find that an arrangement you loved in autumn feels just as beautiful beside a winter candle, or that a botanical composition becomes a familiar part of a room year after year.

And if you enjoy changing your surroundings with the seasons, preserved botanicals can be carefully stored until you're ready to welcome them back.

Choose a dry, temperature-stable location away from direct sunlight. Protect the arrangement from dust and pressure, using a spacious box and gentle support where needed. Avoid tightly wrapping delicate flowers or allowing them to rest against one another.

When the time comes, bring them out again and let them find their place.

A Final Note From Our Studio

Every arrangement that leaves Imaginary Meadows carries a little of our gardens, our curiosity, and our care.

Some botanicals began as seeds in our own soil. Others were discovered through the growers and specialists whose work we admire.

All were chosen with intention.

We hope that, wherever your botanicals find their home, they continue to offer the quiet pleasure of living a little closer to nature.

With care,

Michele & Michael

Imaginary Meadows