When you receive a bouquet on a special occasion or have a floral arrangement that you absolutely love, Houston flower experts at Breen’s Florist recommend drying the flowers instead of tossing them out. By drying flowers, you can preserve them to be enjoyed for years to come.
Bouquet of Dried Roses
Why Dry Your Flowers Instead of Pressing Them?
Pressing flowers can work just as well as drying for flower preservation, but it’s not the best method. Here’s why.
When pressed, flowers retain their colors, but lose their shape. In this state, they’re extremely brittle and prone to breaking apart, if not handled and displayed carefully. Although dried flowers are delicate, too, they keep their shape and won’t be quite as prone to breakage.
Pressing Flowers
Drying flowers also works well for all types of flowers. Pressing, on the hand, is really only recommended for flowers that have naturally flat blooms, thin blooms, or blooms with fairly sparse petals. Mixed bouquets that include more robust flowers like roses, carnations, globe thistle, or peonies won’t press well, and the thicker flowers will need to be split in half before you begin.
Fun with Pinks
We only recommend pressing flowers when you want to display them in a botanical frame or use them for a decoupage craft project.
The Easiest Ways to Dry Flowers
There are a variety of methods for drying flowers, but the key to getting all of them right is to start before your flowers have begun to wilt and to make sure you remove all the moisture during the drying process. Completely dry flowers will feel a bit like tissue paper.
The best way to dry flowers is to hang them and let them air dry. For this method, you’ll need several days. Tie the bouquet by its stems and use a clothing hanger or hook to hang them upside down. This will ensure they dry with the petals in a fresh-looking position. Dry your flowers away from direct sunlight to keep their colors vibrant.
Hanging Dried Flowers
To speed up the process, you can use methods that add gentle, dry heat to the process. To dry flowers in the oven, preheat to the lowest heat setting and arrange flowers, so they don’t touch, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave the oven door cracked to let moisture evaporate and check on the flowers, as they gradually dry over the next eight to twelve hours.
A quicker way to dry flowers with heat is in the microwave, but you can’t just toss flowers in and cook them. You’ll need some special supplies including silica sand and a microwave-safe container. Trim stems and foliage from flowers before arranging them in the container and covering them completely with silica sand. Put them in the microwave with a small glass of water and heat them in 30-second intervals. Check the flowers’ progress between each interval. Most will dry completely after two or three minutes.
Bouquet of Dried Flowers in Glass Vase
With Houston’s sun, you can also dry flowers in the trunk of a car. Pick a day when you won’t be driving anywhere. In the morning, lay flowers out on a sheet of parchment in the trunk. They should be dry by sunset.
For more information about the best ways to preserve flowers and the best bouquets for preserving, we welcome you to stop by Breen’s Florist for professional assistance.