How to Dry Flowers

The natural beauty and elegance of dry flowers are unmatched and they last for several years. Dry flowers have various uses in crafts and decorative flower arrangements. Some people want to know how to dry flowers just to keep an old gift bouquet, while others want to take it up as a hobby as it is an enriching experience. For the purpose of drying, select the right kind of fresh flowers. Check out that the flowers do not have insects or parasites on the petals. The flowers picked for drying should be free from moisture like dew. If you plan to pick the flower from your garden, make sure it is a dry day and trim it after the morning dew time is over. Flowers which are in full bloom should be avoided as they tend to lose petals as they dry. Those flowers which have wilted due to excess of sunlight should not be selected. Buds and blossoms are the best choice. Blossoms are preferred because they will open even after you have started drying them.

How to Dry Flowers at Home?

There are different methods which can be used to dry flowers; some of them can dry flowers quickly and others may take some time. The most widely used techniques to dry flowers are as follows:

Pressing: This method can dry flowers quickly but the shape of the flowers become flat. This method is not suitable for flowers with thick stems but works well on delicate blooms like lilies or other flat shaped flowers. Here, the flowers are pressed in between two layers of absorbing material that can absorb the moisture from the flower. For this you can dry flowers in a book or other unglazed paper like newsprint. Place the flowers in between thick layers of papers in a book in such a way that one flower does not come in contact with the other. Keep the book under a heavy object and wait for 2-4 weeks. Then you open the book to find beautiful dried flowers.

Air Drying: The best part of this method is that it can retain the shape and color of the flowers. Take out the extra foliage from the fresh flowers and tie them up together with a rubber band to form small bunches. Select a place for hanging the flowers which is warm, dark, less humid and has good ventilation. Hang the flowers upside down on a coat hanger in an attic or closet till they are dried completely. Rose, zinnias, tansy are some of the varieties of flowers which can be dried using this method.

Drying Agent: Silica gel is an excellent drying agent and helps to dry flowers quite uniformly. Silica gel is like sand and is available in small packets with florists, gardening or hobby stores. You can dry any kind of flowers at home with the help of this. However, flowers which have heavy density of petals and are difficult to dry evenly can be dried with silica gel. Though silica gel is a bit expensive, you can reuse it again and for many years.

Microwave: This method will dry flowers in a matter of few minutes. Take a container which is safe for use in the microwave to hold the flowers. When you dry flowers in the microwave, you have to use silica gel to ensure that the natural shape of the flowers are maintained. Pour some silica gel to cover the bottom of the container, then place the flower on it with blossom side up and then pour some more silica gel on the flowers. However, make sure that the petals do not get flattened due to the extra weight of the gel. The temperature of the microwave will vary from flower to flower. You have to set a temperature slightly higher than the defrost and keep checking the progress from time to time and change the temperature as per requirement. Once the flowers are dry, cover the container and remove it from the microwave and allow it to cool down for 24 hours. Then brush off lightly all the extra silica gel from the dried petals. Finally, coat the dry flowers with hairspray so that the dried flowers do not absorb the moisture from the air.

You can see that you do not have to equip yourself with any special tools also. If you are using silica gel for drying flowers, make sure you protect yourself with protective gear. This is not a toxic material but can cause irritation when it is inhaled or comes in contact with eyes or skin.