Preserve Flowers

How to Dry and Preserve Flowers

A commonly known method for drying flowers is hanging them upside down, but there are several ways to preserve flowers and considerations to take when deciding which method you should use.

Methods of Preserving Flowers

Hanging - hanging flowers upside down until they dry. Easy, but time consuming.

Baking - dehydrating flowers to dry them in the oven or microwave. Fast

Submersion - submerge flowers in dessicant (e.g. silica gel or glycerine) until they dry. Good for preserving live shape, but more elaborate.

Pressing - Flattening flowers in something like a book with weight on it. Easy, but specific to preserving flowers flat vs. full bodied.

Reasons to Preserve Flowers

Floral Arrangements - Those wanting to use dried flowers as floral arrangements want blooms to look real and 3D. Similarly, those looking to preserve a bouquet for a special event like a wedding want as much original detail present for sentimental reasons.

Creative Projects - Pressed flowers can be added stationary, glass, and other media. Pressed and 3D preserved flowers can be added to resin projects.

Consumption - Dried flowers can be used in potpourri and scented products. Edible flowers can be preserved and added to food and drink recipes.

Air Dry Method

To preserve as much color as possible, keep flowers away from direct sunlight.

Microwave Method

Someone on Reddit claims this method works for them: “Sandwich your flowers between 2 paper towels. Place a baking dish on top and microwave for 30 seconds at a time. Usually only takes 30 seconds.” Best for flowers with thin petals.

Dessicant Method

The dessication method involves trimming the flowers while in good condition (no droopiness) and submerging them in a flower dessicant. The flowers are left in the covered dessicant container for at least a week. Dessicant extracts moisture from the flowers while maintaining the shape of the flower as it sits in the dessicant material. This can lead to a smoother, more ‘alive’ look.

FTD has a chart of how long to dry flowers by type: