Publish Content

Drying flowers is an easy task, once learned, that can lead you to create exciting bouquets, decorations, and scrapbook material. Drying flowers does take a certain attention to detail, so don’t rush into the experience without first learning the basics of keeping your flowers crisp and preserved.

Before beginning the drying process, you have to verify that there is no condensation on the flower. Enacting the drying process with a wet flower will make the end result look muddy, and even degrade the flower to a point where it is not able to be used. The best action would be to take the flower and hang it upside down in a dry area for several hours until dry.

The next step is simple- put the flower in a book and close it! This method flattens the flower, and also contributes to drying it over a long time span. To flatten the flower even further, you can apply a few extra pounds of pressure on top of the book. Any paper weight will do- even a few more books placed on top of it should be sufficient.

You might have heard of silica gel before. It is a material used to keep dry areas crips, and to help soak up moisture in areas that have become humid. Silica gel is found commonly in shoes when you first buy them. As you may have read on the label, silica gel is toxic if you consume it. You must exert caution when using it, and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling it to prevent a calamity.

Typically reserved for food, your microwave can do a lot more than make your favorite meals. It can also dry out flowers in just minutes, compared to days or weeks you would otherwise spend. The microwave won’t get the same results as the longer process would. It is recommended that you try it yourself to see what results you get. Professionals won’t depend on the microwave, however, as you will see why.

After you do get the desired result, you can keep your dried flowers looking their best by warding off insects. Mothballs are a popular product for this if you plan on storing the dried flowers. If you keep the flowers in something such as a scrapbook, that should be sufficient enough to ward off any insects so long as the scrapbook is well kept. If the flower means a lot to you, also consider keeping the flower in a common area where insects won’t inhabit.

Closing Comments

Drying your own flowers is a fun hobby to take up when your schedule is looking free. The process is easy enough, as you can use technology to speed the process. Experiment with different flowers and techniques to see what you can come up with.

Learn more about Petersburg flowers and send flowers to Petersburg.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 6th, 2009 at 11:12 pm and is filed under Arts And Entertainment, Home And Family, Reference And Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.