Drying Flowers Drying flowers is a great way to keep your favorite flowers around even after they would have normally been long gone. You can make all sorts of decorative arrangements or keep a flower that has meaning from a special event.
If done well, dried foliage can last a very long time. There is a dried laurel Roman head-wreath that is over 2,000 years old at a museum in Britain. Collecting Flowers to Dry: Flowers meant for drying can be collected at any time during the growing season. Collect more than is actually needed to account for damage and attempt to choose perfect shapes. Additionally, choose flowers free from insect and disease damage. Methods for Drying Flowers: There are several ways to dry flowers including the following: Pressing: This is the most popular method of preserving flowers. It is accomplished by placing the flower between the pages of a book which is closed and weighted. Flowers dried with this method can be arranged in framed displays. Air-Drying: This is the oldest and most simple method. Essentially you just hang and dry the flowers and they slowly become preserved. Heat Pressing: With this method you press with a warm iron by placing the flowers between two pieces of waxed paper. Microwave Drying: This method only takes a few minutes and provides dried flowers that look fresher and more colorful than many other methods. To do this method support material such as silica gel must surround and support the flowers while heating. Freeze Drying: This is a harder method for the average homeowner but is the most realistic. In this process flowers are placed into a refrigerated chamber below freezing.
Desiccants:
Embedding the flowers in a granular material is a very common method. Several materials may be used and include such materials as borax; silica gel; cat litter; oolitic sand; common sand and other.
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