Preserving fresh blooms transforms fleeting flowers into lasting keepsakes and decorative pieces for your home. Successful preservation depends on choosing the right flowers and employing an effective drying technique. By understanding the characteristics that make certain flowers ideal for drying and mastering simple methods, you can ensure they retain their color and structure for years to come.
Selecting the Ideal Blooms
The best flowers for preservation naturally possess low moisture content or sturdy structural components that resist wilting and decay during drying. Flowers with papery petals, often called “everlasting” flowers, are excellent choices because their cellular structure is rigid. Examples include Statice, which retains its vibrant color well, and Strawflower, whose stiff, daisy-like heads dry beautifully without losing shape.
Flowers with a high lignin content, the polymer that provides structural support in plants, also tend to hold their form exceptionally well. Roses, especially those with tight buds or firm petals, are popular for drying, maintaining a lovely, stiff appearance. Other hardy flowers that maintain their three-dimensional structure include Yarrow, Baby’s Breath, and Globe Amaranth. Hydrangeas, with their dense clusters of petals, are often dried by allowing them to stand in shallow water until all the moisture is drawn out.
Pre-Drying Preparation
The timing of the harvest significantly impacts the final quality of the dried bloom. Flowers should be picked just before they reach their peak bloom, or when the flower head is still slightly tight, to prevent petals from dropping during drying. Harvesting is ideally done on a dry day in the late morning, after the dew has evaporated, which minimizes initial moisture content and speeds up the drying process.
Before preservation, remove all excess foliage, thorns, and damaged petals from the stem. Leaves hold significant moisture and can slow drying, potentially leading to mold growth. If air drying, group the stems loosely into small bunches of no more than six to ten flowers. Secure them with a rubber band, which automatically tightens around the stems as they shrink during moisture loss.
Common Methods for Preservation
Air drying is the most traditional and straightforward method, best suited for robust flowers like lavender, statice, and yarrow. Small bunches of prepared stems are tied together and hung upside down in a dark, warm, and well-ventilated area. Hanging them upside down uses gravity to keep the stems straight and helps the flower heads remain upright. The darkness prevents ultraviolet light from fading the flower’s color pigments. The process typically takes two to four weeks until the petals feel completely dry and brittle.
For flowers where retaining the original three-dimensional shape and color is a priority, using a desiccant like silica gel is highly effective. Silica gel is a porous form of silicon dioxide that rapidly absorbs moisture from the petals, making it ideal for thicker blooms such as roses, hydrangeas, and peonies. The flower heads are gently buried face-up in an airtight container filled with the fine crystals. This supports the flower’s structure while drawing out moisture. The drying time is significantly shorter than air drying, typically ranging from three days to two weeks, depending on the flower’s size and density.
Pressing is the preferred method for creating flat, decorative pieces for crafts. It is best for naturally flat flowers or those with single layers of petals, such as pansies, cosmos, and ferns. To press a flower, place it between sheets of absorbent paper, like blotting paper or plain printer paper. Then sandwich the paper between the pages of a heavy book or a wooden flower press. The weight flattens the bloom while the paper absorbs the moisture, usually taking between two and four weeks to fully dry and flatten.
Storage and Displaying Dried Flowers
Once flowers are completely dry, post-preservation care is necessary to ensure their longevity. Dried flowers are extremely sensitive to environmental factors that can quickly degrade their appearance. Direct sunlight is the primary culprit for color fading, as the intense light breaks down the pigments in the petals.
To maintain vibrant hues, dried arrangements should be displayed in a dimly lit area, away from windows and intense indoor lighting. High humidity must also be avoided, as it can cause moisture reabsorption, leading to limpness and potential mold growth. A dry, cool environment, ideally with a relative humidity between 40 and 50 percent, is best for display.
For cleaning, handle dried flowers gently to avoid breakage; never use water or cleaning sprays. Dust can be carefully removed using a soft, fine-bristled brush or by using a hairdryer set to the cool, lowest air setting. When storing dried flowers that are not currently on display, wrap them in tissue paper or newspaper and place them in an airtight container or sturdy box. Adding a packet of desiccant, like silica gel, helps absorb ambient moisture and protects the flowers from pests until they are ready to be used again.