Why Dry your flowers?
Dry flowers make for a lovely home decor and can be used in a range of craft projects. The preservation method you use will depend on the look you wish to acheive and the type of flowers you are using. The best time of the year to dry flowers and foliage is summer, because the temperature is warm, and mould is less likely to grow. There are plenty of flowers that can be dried. Our favourites include: roses, hydrangeas, gomphrena, strawflowers, achillea, statice and eryngium as they hold their colour well. Foliage is also a good option for drying. Palm leaves, toe toe and ornamental grasses are perfect picks for bouquets.
The first rule of thumb for drying flowers is to start the process while they are in their prime and still looking their best. Flowers continue to open during the drying process so by using still fresh flowers you avoid the petals curling and drooping. At Interflora we source our flowers from local growers and markets, so freshness and quality are guaranteed - this is important, it means the flowers will not be suffering from stress and be more likely to give you great results.
How To Air Dry Flowers
Air drying is as simple as hanging the bouquet upside down. This method is best for entire bouquets or robust flowers:
- Strip excess foliage from flowers.
- Cut stems to the desired length, but leave at least 6 inches.
- Use a rubber band or twine to tie the stems together (if you have a bouquet).
- Hang them upside down in a dark, dry, well-ventilated area. Keeping the flowers out of direct sunlight will help them retain their color.
- The drying process will take about two to three weeks.
- Once dried, take down the flowers and spray with unscented hairspray for protection.
Pro tip: weaker flower stems can break when dried, so substitute with wire before drying.
How To Press Flowers
The other way to preserve your flowers is to press them. It’s been a popular pastime for hundreds of years, so it’s tried and testing.
- Find yourself some good heavy books. You can use telephone directories, or any books with absorbent pages. Check that the pages are not glossy, like the ones in encyclopaedias, as often the pages are much less absorbent.
- Cut yourself some parchment paper (aka baking paper), you’ll put this between the flowers and the pages – you should never put flowers straight into the pages of a book because the colours could bleed and stain the pages.
- Make sure your flowers are trimmed, clean and dry. Place the flowers on the parchment paper between the pages and then add extra books on top to weigh them down. Then leave them, around 4 weeks should do it.
Now What You Can Do With Them Once They're Dried or Pressed
Plenty of blooms look as good dried as they do fresh, in fact dried blooms have become incredible fashionable. Leave the stems long and make sure they’re robust enough to stand up, then pop them in a vase – voila, a dried sculptural wonder that could grace the cover of any glossy fashion mag. We especially love dried hydrangeas in a vase for a table centre piece.
Start the process now and purchase a bouquet today!