How to Dry Flowers
While flowers make a wonderful gift or memento for almost any occasion, eventually the colors and petals fade. While no amount of care can keep them fresh and vibrant forever, drying flowers allows you to preserve the color and condition of the flowers. Best of all, most flower drying methods are simple and provide lasting results.
There are two basic methods for drying flowers. The air hanging method allows greater flexibility and ease, but takes much more time than the silica method. However, it can be completed with items found around the house. While the silica method provides quicker results, it is often unfeasible for full bouquets and requires purchasing special materials.
The Hanging Method
Things You Will Need:
- Twine or string
- A dry, dark space
- A horizontally mounted rod or dowel
- Aerosol hairspray or clear acrylic aerosol spray
- Flat open surface
- Newspaper or plastic to cover your workspace.
1. Lay out your flowers in groups on a flat surface, arranging them as desired.
2. Remove any unwanted leaves or petals. While this process will preserve the color of your flowers, it cannot rejuvenate any already fading or wilting foliage. Removing these will provide a cleaner final product.
3. Trim the stems to your desired length. Keep in mind; you will be hanging the flowers using the stems. Be sure to leave enough stem to securely tie the bundles.
4. Tie your bundles together using your twine or string.
5. Locate an appropriate place to mount your rod or dowel. For proper drying, you will need a dark, dry location with adequate air circulation. A curtain rod is great for this as curtain rods are typically sturdy, pre mounted and in a dark, dry place already.
6. Mount your rod or dowel.
7. Cut a length of twine approximately 18 inches long for each bundle of flowers you wish to dry.
8. Run each length of twine through the twine used to tie each bundle of blowers.
9. Loop the ends of the twine over your hanging rod or towel.
10. Create a hanging loop by tying a knot in the open ends of the string. This should allow your flowers to hang freely in the open air.
11. Allow the flowers to hang undisturbed until dry. Depending on the flowers, this can take up to a month. When completed, the flowers should be dry to the touch and weigh much less than when initially hung.
12. Untie or cut the hanging loops and lay the flower bundles on clean newspaper or plastic.
13. Spray the one side of the flowers with a light, even coat of hairspray or clear acrylic spray to protect and further preserve flowers. When thoroughly dried, flip the flowers and spray the opposite side.
The Silica Method
Things You Will Need:
- A microwave-safe container with a tight-fitting lid that is large enough to hold your flowers
- Silica gel for padding and covering flowers within the container
- Microwave
- Twine or string
- Small soft-bristle paintbrush
- Aerosol hairspray or clear acrylic aerosol spray
- A flat open surface
- Newspaper or plastic to cover workspace
1. Lay out your flowers in bundles on a flat surface, arranging them as desired.
2. Remove any unwanted leaves or petals. While this process will preserve the color of your flowers, it cannot rejuvenate any already fading or wilting foliage. Removing these will provide a cleaner final product.
3. Trim the stems to your desired length.
4. Place a layer of silica gel on the bottom of the container. This should be deep enough to support the flowers you want to dry.
5. Place the flowers on top of the silica gel.
6. Use firm pressure to sink the flowers slightly into the silica gel.
7. Place silica gel over the petals of the flowers. While this will speed up the drying process, using too much may distort the shape of the flower. Amounts will vary depending on flower type.
8. Set your microwave to 20 to 30 percent power. Due to varying wattage in microwaves, this setting may vary slightly. For best results, lower heat is optimal. Using a higher setting will not speed up the process and may damage your flowers.
9. Place the container in the microwave without a lid.
10. Set the cook time for two minutes.
11. Check the flowers when the two minutes is complete. If not dry, repeat steps eight to 11 until flowers appear dry.
12. Remove container from the microwave and place the lid on the container.
13. Open a corner of the lid slightly to allow condensation and heat to dissipate during the cooling process.
14. Allow the container to sit in a dark dry location for 24 hours.
15. Remove the flowers from the container.
16. Clean any excess silica gel from the flowers using a small soft-bristle brush. The flowers will be delicate at this point. Using small gentle strokes should help avoid damaging the flowers.
17. Lay the flowers on newspaper or plastic.
18. Spray the one side of the flowers with a light, even coat of hairspray or clear acrylic spray to protect and further preserve flowers. When thoroughly dried, flip the flowers and spray the opposite side.