Drying Flowers

	Picking Flowers
	Tools & Materials for Drying Methods
	Introduction
	Pressing
	Air Drying
	Desiccants (drying agent)
	Microwave Drying
	Drying Agent Materials and Times

Cut the flowers before they fully open.

Cut your flowers late in the morning after the dew has dried but before the mid-day sun begins to wilt them. When cutting flowers, select buds and almost fully bloomed heads for variety in your arrangement. Cut as much of the stem as possible.

Look for the following characteristics when choosing flowers to dry:

• Brilliant color (blue, yellow, orange and pink buds have the best color retention)
• Compactness (flowers with multiple petals: roses, hydrangeas etc)
• A strong stem
• Low moisture
• Few imperfections

If you won't be able to start the drying process immediately, place the cut flowers in a bucket of lukewarm water to keep the flowers from wilting. Place the bucket in a cool, dry place.

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Tools Scissors for all methods Drying Agent & Microwave Method Microwavable container Microwave Small paintbrush

Materials Flowers For Pressing: Paper Towels Heavy Books Air/Hang Drying Rubber band Dowel rod (optional) Drop cloth (optional) Ornament hangers or paper clips Drying Agent Drying agent

Several different methods may be used to dry flowers and foliage. No one method is recommended over another, and all take practice to perfect. Once the drying process is complete, spray the flower or foliage with clear lacquer to protect the arrangement.

Pressing is the most familiar method of drying flowers. This method involves pressing thin flowers using paper towels and a stack of heavy books. Fold a paper towel over the flowers to be pressed. Try to keep the petals from overlapping each other. Open a book to the middle and place the paper towel between the pages. You can place several layers of paper towels and flowers throughout the book. Close the book and place other heavy books on top of it. Check the flowers in about two weeks. Some flowers/plants that press well are: Bellflowers Bleeding heart Coral bells Ferns Geraniums Larkspur Lily-of-the-valley Pansies Violets

Air drying is the oldest and easiest method for drying flowers. Secure the bunch together with a rubber band. Hang the flowers in the closet and shut the door.

Air/hang drying is the oldest and easiest method for drying flowers. Flowers that are air dried are very stiff once dried. Flowers should be placed in a dark area with dry air. A bedroom with minimal light or a large closet works well. Avoid rooms with high humidity such as a kitchen or bathroom. Use a rubber band to bind six to ten stems together about 2" from the stem ends. The bunch should be no thicker than 1 1/2". If you are placing the flowers in a bedroom, place a dowel rod across two straight back chairs with a drop cloth underneath. Use ornament hangers or bent paper clips to suspend the bunches upside down. The drying process can take two to three weeks depending on how much air circulation you have and the type of plant being dried. The following flowers/plants preserve well with hang drying: Baby's breath Cattail Celosia Globe amaranth Goldenrod Peonies Pink paper daisy Pussy willow Roses Statice Yarrow

Place flowers in 1/2" of drying agent.   Pour 1" of drying agent around the flowers and lightly tap the side of the container to cover the petals.   Continue the process until the flowers are covered.

Drying flowers in a desiccating substance (drying agent) is considered by some to be the best all-around drying method. Flowers dried in a drying agent retain their color and shape better than other drying methods. Several different drying agents can be used. Using a drying agent is usually trial and error, so practice on a few flowers before doing a bouquet. If you leave the flower buried too long, the drying agent can burn the petals.

The most important part of using a drying agent is the procedure you use to cover the flower in order to maintain its form.

Use the following procedure to cover and dry a flower:

1. Pour 1/2" of a drying agent in the bottom of a container. The container with a lid should be about 3" deeper than the flower head is tall.
   
   
2. Cut the stem to about a 1/2" and stick the flower in the center of the material.
   
   
3. Pour about 1" of the drying material around the perimeter of the container, away from the flower.
   
   
4. Lightly tap the sides of the container. The material will slide closer to the flower, gently covering the petals. This method keeps the petals from being crushed.
   
   
5. Continue this process until the flower is completely covered.
   
   
6. Add 1" of the material on top of the flower.
   
   
7. Place the lid on the container and allow the flower to dry based on the type of material used.
   
   
8. Once the flower is dry, slowly pour the drying material off of the flower and use a small paintbrush to remove any lingering particles.



Use a small paintbrush to remove any lingering particles.



9. Tape the dried flowers to florists' wire to provide a stem for flower arrangements.

Once you get the hang of using a drying agent, you can dry more than one flower at a time.

You can speed up the drying process using a drying agent and a microwave. Avoid drying flowers with thick petals, (magnolia and hyacinth) in the microwave.

Good idea:  You can re-use silica gel by placing it on an old baking tray and popping it in the oven on a low heat for about 15 minutes until it dries out.

Make sure the container you choose has a lid, is microwave safe and is deep enough to cover the flower. Use the drying agent method to cover the flowers before microwaving. Cover the container and place it in the microwave along with a small bowl of water to prevent excessive drying. Set the microwave to defrost.

The amount of time the flower remains covered will vary based on the type of drying material being used.
Material	Regular Drying Time	Microwave Drying Time
Silica gel	1 to 2 days	3 minutes
Kitty litter	16 days	3 minutes
Sand	16 days	3 minutes
Borax and white cornmeal mix (2:1)	10 days	3 minutes

 

After drying the flowers in the microwave, allow the flowers to sit in the container (lid slightly cracked) for 24 hours.

The following flowers are examples of flowers that dry well using the drying agent method in a microwave:

• African daisy
• African marigold
• Astilbe
• Buttercup
• Chrysanthemum
• Cosmos
• Daffodil
• Daylily
• Delphinium
• Foxglove
• Goldenrod
• Hollyhock
• Hydrangea
• Larkspur
• Lilac
• Pansy
• Rose
• Sedum
• Tulip
• Witch hazel
• Zinnia