No one wants to say goodbye to a special bouquet of flowers, especially if they were given to them by very dear and close people. Or if it's your bridal bouquet or the flowers that were given to you for Valentine's Day. But if you don't know how to properly dry a bouquet of flowers, you may end up with misshapen or discolored flowers or even mold. That's why we'll tell you the best tips and tricks for drying flowers.
How to dry a bouquet of flowers?
Flowers generally need water. But if you want to preserve them so that they keep their color and you can admire them for years to come, you have to dry them, and dry them properly. Luckily, there are several easy methods on how to dry flowers. We will explain to you how to proceed and what you need.
Hang the flowers upside down
The most traditional technique for drying flowers is hanging the bouquets.
- Remove the ribbon that was used to hold the bouquet together. This will remove any moisture remaining from the tape.
- Remove unwanted or wet foliage from the stems. Gather the flowers into a bouquet again and tie them with clean, dry twine. Make sure the stems are tied tightly and the string is long enough to easily hang the bouquet.
- Hang it upside down in a dry, cool and dark place.
- Allow all flowers to air dry for at least a week, or longer if it is cool. Watch the petals shrink and change color until you end up with beautiful dried flowers in vintage colors.
Dry the bouquet in a vase
This is a very simple method to dry flowers and is best suited for bouquets that you want to enjoy to the fullest.
When you receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers, you want to enjoy them for as long as possible rather than immediately hanging them up to dry. By letting the flowers dry in a vase, you will experience the full beauty of the bouquet as you watch it slowly fade. There's something magical about a slightly fading bouquet, but you have to be careful that the flowers don't start to droop.
Place the stems in a few inches of water and forget about them. Once all the water has evaporated, the flowers should be upright and perky, but dry. This works best if the bouquet is not packed too tightly, otherwise there is a risk of the flowers becoming moldy.
How to Preserve Flowers with Silica Gel
If you want your flowers to look exactly like they did in the garden, try using silica gel. You are probably familiar with the little sachets of desiccants that you find in the goods and that prevent too much moisture from damaging the product before use. You should know that these bags are actually excellent moisture absorbers that can be used to make drying plants easier.
Don't throw them away anymore! Open it and pour the contents into a sealed jar or airtight container. Once you have a sufficient amount, you can dry your flowers by placing them directly in your container for a few days. The container should be sealed airtight, otherwise the flowers could become moldy due to the moisture.
The silica gel preserves the color of the flowers very well. After a few days to a week, you can carefully uncover the preserved flowers and spray them with a setting or hair spray.
Simply press flowers yourself
To press a bouquet, spread it out on clean wax paper so the flowers lift easily after pressing. In this step, arrange the bouquet according to your choice because once it is dried and pressed, you will no longer be able to manipulate it.
Place the wax paper containing the flowers between two large, heavy books, placing another piece of wax paper over the flowers to prevent them from getting ink. Weigh them down with other heavy objects, such as a vase, and allow the plants to dry for 7 to 10 days.
Once the bouquet is flat and dry, you can frame it.
How to dry a bouquet of flowers in the oven?
You can speed up the drying time of flowers by using a traditional oven. Place the flowers on parchment paper and then on a baking sheet. Set the oven to the lowest setting, i.e. around 50°C and let the flowers dry for two hours.
You can also use a well-ventilated forced air oven to dry your bouquets.
Insert the stems into the holes in the wire mesh so that the flower buds hold the flower straight up and the stem hangs through the mesh.
Heat the oven to a maximum of 40°C and dry the flowers for 3 hours. To make your dried bouquet last longer, spray it with hairspray.
