What Are Sola Wood Flowers?
Sola Wood Flowers are the next big thing in wedding floristry and home decor. Crafters love them, brides love them, and pretty soon, the world will fall in love with these handmade wooden flowers that are natural, biodegradable, and sustainable.
Not only are these eco-friendly blooms a beautiful and affordable alternative to fresh flowers, but they are sturdier and last much longer!
Forget walking down the aisle with a bouquet that will wilt and die a few hours after you’ve said, “I do”. Forget filling your home with expensive floral centerpieces that you’ll have to throw away in a week. Instead, read through this handy guide to Sola Wood Flowers and get ready to create arrangements that are as lovely and lush as those made with garden-grown blossoms.
What is Sola Wood?
Sola wood flowers are made from Shola (scientific name Aeschynomene Aspera). Shola plants are a top source of sustainable wood-crafting material and are abundant in nature, and can be easily grown in rice paddies and waterlogged lands. The white soft core from which the flowers are crafted from are spongy, supple, and lightweight. The “bark” of the Shola plant is just as useful as the core.
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How are Sola Wood Flowers Made?
Typically, the bark is taken off of the root to expose the center of the plant. This cream-colored, cork-like center is made into thin sheets, which are then softened and shaped by hand. Yes, each flower is handcrafted by a real artist!
Sometimes the bark is left on during the sheet-making process, which creates a two-tone effect. Both Bark and No Bark flowers can be dyed with paint to create whatever color palette and design the creator desires.
How to Dye Sola Wood Flowers
Most often, acrylic/craft paint is used to dye Sola Wood Flowers because it’s readily available, affordable, and comes in a rainbow of colors. You can also use latex paint, spray paint, watercolor, and fabric dye.
The easiest way to dye wooden flowers is to prepare a mix of acrylic paint with Sola Softener, then dip the flowers into the mixture.
You can read more about using Sola Softener in our post How to Use Sola Softener to Dye Your Sola Wood Flowers. For even more dyeing tips, check out our video How to Dye Your Sola Wood Flowers.
How to Reshape Sola Wood Flowers
The style possibilities are limitless when you’re working with Sola Wood Flowers. You can find everything from daisies to dahlias. You can also reshape your flowers to give the petals more life. Shaping is helpful if the flowers look flat or get a bit smooshed.
To reshape, dunk the flower a few times into a bowl of room temperature water. Make sure the flower is fully immersed. Shake off any excess water, then use your fingers to gently fan out the petals. Once you have the shape you’re looking for, set the flower aside to dry for about 24 hours before painting.
To save time, you can reshape the flowers while dyeing them since the wood will be soft and pliable from the dyeing process.
How to Stem Sola Wood Flowers?
You’ll need to stem your loose Sola Wood Flowers if you’re creating an arrangement or bouquet. To do so, simply add a dot of hot glue to the back/bottom of the flower, then gently insert a wire stem or bamboo stick into the glue.
How Long Do Sola Wood Flowers Last?
The best part about this natural material is that it lasts forever! Sola Wood Flowers are stronger than real flowers and will last as long as you take care of them, which means not putting them through a wood shredder.
When you use Sola Wood Flowers for your crafting projects and bouquets, you’re not sacrificing authenticity or beauty. Wood flower arrangements look so much like the real thing that no one will suspect otherwise. Plus, you can apply fragrance oil to the petals so that the flowers smell as lovely as they look.
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