Drying Flowers

Watching a flower bloom is an absolute joy for me, especially if they have memory associated with it, but its wilting away makes me feel awful. I have always wondered if there is a way to preserve these flowers. Of course, I know that flowers bloom and fade to allow space for others to bloom, and also there is no way to hold on to a flower's freshness and fragrance forever, but the concept of drying flowers lets me hold on to the memory and is an excellent way for me to try my hand at a new hobby. You should try it too. Besides, well dried flowers can add an interesting twist to your décor, and you will never be out of flowers in your home.

Drying your favorite flowers at home can be a fun craft project, one that is inexpensive and its quantity is all yours to decide. There are quite a number of ways one can use to dry flowers. But before I get down to them, a few pointers to ensure that you get the best results.

• The best time to dry flowers naturally is during the summers or fall.
• Select a good color combination, and flowers that are at different stages of development.
• Bear in mind that flowers tend to open more when they are being dried.
• Colors such as blue, purple, orange, pink and violet will retain their colors better than red, yellow and white upon drying.
• Pick healthy flowers only in the morning, when they are freshest.
• While cutting flowers meant for drying, make sure the stems are long enough to be held together.
• Some flowers have weak stems, hence should be removed and replaced with florist's wire before drying the flower.
• There is wide variety of flowers to choose from; Chinese lanterns, cornflowers, strawflowers, ageratum, globe amaranth, hydrangeas, yarrows, alliums, thistles, bells of Ireland, baby's breath, etc.

How to Dry Flowers at Home

Air Drying: Air drying is the oldest technique used to dry flowers. Make bunches of 5 - 8 flowers. De-foliate the stems, and tie the bunches together about two-three inches from the stem ends. Hang them upside down in a warm dry place with lots air and light circulation, but always indoors. It roughly takes three to four weeks for the flowers to dry completely.

In a Microwave: A microwave's temperature varies from microwave to microwave, and then again from flower to flower. Hence, run a few trials beforehand to get the mechanics right. Place flowers within a paper towel in a large microwave dish, and place it in. On the flowers place another microwave dish, a slightly heavier one to prevent the flowers from curling as they get heated. Dry flowers on 'high' for 2 - 6 minutes. Remove and allow it to cool.

In a Book: Flowers pressed between the pages of a book is perhaps the best bookmark one can make and use, or even gift. Pressing flowers can be used for a wide range of paper crafts and decoration. Select flowers that have thin petals, to get a even pressing. Defoliating the leaf is not essential. However, make sure the stem isn't too long. Sandwich a fresh flower and leaves between layers of an absorbent (porous) material such as newspapers, tissue papers or just the pages of the book. Stack several other books upon the flower-held book in a warm, dry place. The flower will dry and will be evenly pressed within a couple of weeks.

With Silica Gel: Silica gel is an excellent desiccant (drying agent). Its use is more favored for flower drying because desiccants remove moisture from the flowers naturally and more quickly, without interfering with the flowers natural form or shape as compared to other drying methods. Silica gel is a white substance, sometimes even mixed with blue crystals. It absorbs moisture from flowers properly. In a container, add a thick layer of silica gel, place your flowers in it and cover it completely with more silica gel. The container's cover should be airtight. Each flowers dries in different number of days depending upon its size and the level of moisture in the petals or foliage. Remove flowers after they have dried, a minimum 2 - 4 days and brush off all gel from them.

Drying exotic flowers can be loads of fun, and a way to make some extra money too. These dried flowers can be used for decorating, gifting or making crafts.