Here are some tips for choosing flowers to dry,methods for drying them, and storage suggestions.
Flowers with high water content, likesedum, don’t dry well.
Always cut more flowers than you will need because you will probably lose some in the drying process.
The Spruce / Melina Hammer
In general, most flowers do best when cut slightly immature, with the bud not fully open.
The flower will continue to open once it is cut.
Often fully-open flowers will drop their petals as they dry.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
However, do some experimenting and see what stage of bloom works well for your flowers.
Hang Flowers for Air Drying
Air drying is the simplest way to preserve your cut flowers.
Remove excess leaves and gather the flower stems into small bunches, about 1/2 inch in diameter.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Wrap the stems tightly with a rubber band.
The stems will shrink slightly, so see to it the band is tight.
Keep the bunches upside down so that the stems dont bend from being top-heavy.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
The other requirements remain the same.
The more sun the flowers are exposed to, the more their color will fade.
Dont group the bunches too close to one another.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Good air circulation and low humidity are important factors in drying flowers.
confirm there is space for air to flow between the bunches.
Most flowers will take somewhere between 10 and 20 days.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
You will know they are dry when they feel stiff and the stems snap easily.
Despite its name, silica gel is granular, like sea salt, and is reusable.
you could readily find silica gel in any craft store.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Use a shallow, airtight plastic or glass container.
Spread a 1-inch layer of the silica gel on the bottom of the container.
On top of that, space your flower heads.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Then gently cover the flowers with at least another inch of gel.
Seal the container and let it rest for three to five days.
Some flowers that benefit from silica gel drying include anemones, daisies, pansies, and zinnias.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
you might also use laundry borax as a drying agent.
Tip
Use caution!
Silica gel may look like salt, but it is not edible.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Let the container cool for 20 minutes before opening.
Check that the flowers are fully dry before removing them.
Press the Flowers
you could use the microwave to speed the process ofpressing flowers.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
There are microwave flower presses for sale or make your own with two non-metallic ceramic tiles and paper towels.
Sandwich the blossoms in paper towels between the tiles and hold them in place with rubber bands.
Heat for 30 to 60 seconds at a time on high.
Allow the tiles to cool and check the flowers.
Repeat if needed until the petals feel dry to the touch.
Place the flowers in a heavy book or traditional flower press to continue drying for one to two days.
This technique works best on thin, flat blooms like pansies, daisies, and violets.
You will still need to give them minimal sun exposure to retain their color.
As with everything else on display in your house, dried flowers will become dusty.
A delicate feather duster can usually be used on them without causing any damage.
You might also try a blow dryer on cool or low.
Then place the wrapped flowers in a box so they dont get accidentally crushed.
Keep them out of damp basements and overly dry spots, like attics.
Drying Flowers.Horticulture and Home Pest News Website
