Drying Flowers

wreaths) and mistletoe (for holiday decorations) with glycerin, giving them a very natural appearance. Many people like to preserve the flowers from a wedding bouquet.

Preserving flowers and foliage can be fun year round. The instructions for some of the more common methods employed to preserve flowers and foliage is very easy to follow.

Harvesting your Flowers

It is best to cut your flowers in the morning hours after the dew has evaporated from the plants. Once cut, group stems into bunches using rubber bands (pure rubber type rubber bands work best) and remove them from the sunlight as soon as possible.

Most people pick flowers too late

There are definite developmental times which are best for cutting flowers for drying. This can be very specific for different plants or even different cultivators of the same plant. In general, it is best to pick immature flowers (ones that are not completely open) since flowers continue to open during the drying process. If you pick a flower at the time that it looks perfect, it will continue to open while drying, leaving you with a flower past that ‘perfect stage’. For example, have you ever seen a pretty dried rose? If you really look at it, the flower is still fairly closed. Avoid harvesting flowers too mature in development. Such flowers will generally shed upon drying and will not hold up well in arrangements.

Where to dry your flowers

The barns offer ideal conditions: 1) darkness; 2) very good airflow; 3) cool updrafts; 4) perfect (usually) humidity levels. Or for air drying simply string a lot a wire in a cool, dark place. Drying in the dark is the most important factor in maintaining good color. That is why it is important to get your flowers out of the sunlight as quickly as you have picked them. No barn? Then hang your bunches in a well ventilated attic, large closet,

or even a dark shed or garage or even in your basement, providing it is not damp. Make sure you hang your flowers upside down in order to insure straight stems. Hanging them the other way will give you distorted stems.

FLOWERS

Many materials have been used to preserve flowers, some more successfully than others. These include sawdust, washing powder, talcum powder, alcohol, cornstarch, silica gel, cornmeal, borax, sand, antifreeze and even kitty litter! No one material can be considered the best because what may prove best for one flower may be an inferior material for another flower. In addition, it is important to realize that there is a certain amount of expertise involved. People may become skilled using a certain technique, while others may get poor results using that same method with the same flower species.

Except for microwave drying, the methods employed involve slowly drying freshly cut flowers in a manner that results in preserving them in a lifelike manner relative to color, form, flexibility and texture. This may be accomplished in several ways:

Pressing: This may still be the most popular or familiar method of preserving flowers. The plant material is placed between the pages of a book, which is closed and weighted. Special devices called plant presses give excellent results. Violets, pansies, larkspur and ferns preserve well when pressed in this manner. Material preserved with this method can be arranged in framed displays.

Examples of flowers that preserve well by this method are baby’s breath, cattail, statice, celosia, dock, goldenrod, heather and pussy willow. Flowers dried in this manner are extremely stiff once dried. Blue and yellow flowers retain their colors when air dried, but pink flowers fade. Roses and peonies shrink somewhat when air-dried.

Desiccants: Embedding the flowers in a granular, desiccating material is probably the most commonly used method and many consider it the best all around method. Several materials may be used, and they vary in cost and the results that they produce. It is important to use the correct procedure when covering the flowers so that their form will be maintained. To cover a flower, put about an inch of desiccating material at the bottom of the container; cut the flower stem to about a half an inch and stick this into the center of the material at the bottom to hold the flower. Next, pour the desiccating material along the perimeter of the container, away from the flower, building up a continuous mound of about an inch. Then tap lightly on the container and the material will move to the flower, not altering the form of the petals (in other words, the material will not weigh down the petals as it would if it were just poured on top of the flower). Continue adding the material, tapping on the container, etc. until the flower is completely covered. Lastly, add an inch of the material above the top of the flower.

A Couple of "Borax Methods": This involves burying the flowers in a mixture of borax and white cornmeal (2:1) or borax and sand (2:1). These methods result in flowers that are less stiff than those preserved with the "hang and dry" method, but the particles tend to cling to some flowers. Also, in some cases, the sand, because of its rough edges, may produce small holes in the petals.

These methods are "trial and error" because the flowers can be burned if embedded too long. About 10 days is the average if cornmeal is used, and about 16 days of drying is needed if sand is used.

Silica Gel: This may be used with sand alone or with the borax methods just described. Its designation is a misnomer for it is not a gel; it is granular. The material can absorb about 40percent of its weight with water. It is not cheap, compared to the materials mentioned above. It is appropriate for quick-drying flowers and for drying flowers with closely packed petals such as roses. When silica gel is used, the container should be sealed for maximum effect. The flowers will dry in about a week. The commercial material contains fine as well as coarse granules, which, in some cases, produce very small punctures of the petals. Silica gel may be oven-dried (at 300 ° F) and reused. It is blue when dry and light pink when it has absorbed water.

Oolitic sand: Most connoisseurs of the art of preserving flowers agree that the best material available for achieving excellent results is oolitic sand, a material found along the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

Oolitic sand is heavy, which puts steady pressure on the flower while it’s drying; it is smooth therefore, it doesn’t injure the flower; it is hollow, which enhances its ability to absorb water; and it has a relative high pH, which helps to preserve the flowers color. It may be reused.

Common sand: Clean sand can be treated to produce a product similar to oolitic sand. Builders sand or play sand should first be washed thoroughly. Put the sand in a bucket of water with a couple of squirts of liquid dishwashing detergent. Stir it and pour off the water. Then, continue to add fresh water (pouring it off, adding some, etc.) until the added water remains clear. Then, dry the clean sand. For quick drying, it may be placed in a 250 ° F oven on a cookie sheet.

Once the sand is dry, weigh 15 pounds and place it in a medium-hot oven on a cookie sheet until it is evenly heated throughout. Remove the heated sand from the oven and stir into it 3 tablespoons of melted paraffin wax, using a large spoon. After its cooled, add 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda and 1 tablespoon of fine silica gel, distributing these throughout. The wax smoothes the sharp edges of the sand (but reduces its absorbency); the soda raises the pH (which preserves color); and the gel increases its absorbency. Like oolitic sand, this may be reused.

How much sand is needed? A 1-pound coffee can hold 4 pounds of sand, which is enough to dry one rose.

Often, dried materials lose some of their original colors. A practical approach to restoring colors to dried flowers is chalking them with a camel’s hair brush. The best grade of soft chalk can easily be grated on waxed paper and stored in plastic bottles for long-term use. Colors can be mixed to obtain exact hues. Once chalked, the flowers can be moisture-proofed with a spray like hair spray.

The method for burying flowers in any of these materials is essentially the same. However, there are some differences in the types of containers to use, as well as drying with either natural stems or wire stems.

Containers. Flowers dried in borax mixtures should be left uncovered during the drying process. Therefore, low cardboard boxes with tight, strong bottoms are ideal. This allows good air movement throughout the mixture, and if desired, stems may be left attached and sticking out of the mix to air dry.

Flowers dried in silica gel must be placed in air-tight containers. If the containers are not sealed tightly, the silica gel absorbs moisture from the air, and flowers dry too slowly or not at all. Candy tins, plastic containers, coffee cans, large-mouth jars, or any other container with a tight fitting lid may be used. If nothing with a tight lid is available, seal loose tops with tape.

Use shallow containers to make maximum use of the drying material. The natural stem should be removed before drying most flowers in silica gel. Therefore, flowers wired before drying are more easily arranged later.

Wiring. Two techniques of wiring may be used — hook wiring and cross wiring. Hook wiring may be used for daisies, marigolds, zinnias, or other flowers with soft centers. Flowers with a harder base or center, such as roses, should be cross wired.

To hook wire a flower, use about a 20 to 24 gauge wire and push it upward through the center of the stem, if hollow, or through about the center of the flower. Push it out the top of the flower, bend a small hook in the end of the wire and pull it back into the flower, hooking the center. Make sure that the small hook is well hidden in the flower's center. If it is not, as the flower dries, it will become visible.

To cross wire a flower, push the wire through the base of the flower at right angles to the stem. The wire is centered in the flower base, and both ends are then bent down to form a short stem.

In shallow containers, the wires may be bent several times or simply bent out of the way for drying. Later, they can be straightened after the flowers have dried and other wires added to prepare them for arranging.

Types of flowers that may be dried in silica gel and the other materials are almost limitless. However, some are more satisfactory than others and are best for the beginner. Any flowers that readily shed their petals, such as poppies, are unsuitable.

Water-Drying: Believe it or not, some flowers dry well if placed in water! The stems of the flowers are initially placed in a couple of inches of water, then the water is allowed to evaporate and be taken up by the cut flowers. The container and flowers should be in a dry, warm and dark location. Hydrangeas, yarrow, bells-of-Ireland and celosia dry well with this method.

FOLIAGE

Dried foliage can seemingly last forever. There is a dried laurel Roman head-wreath at the British Museum that is over 2,000 years old! Foliage may be preserved like flowers by air-drying or burying the foliage in a desiccant; however, there are other methods more appropriate for foliage preservation.

Heat Pressing: Press with a warm iron. Placing the foliage between two pieces of waxed paper and pressing the wax paper with a medium hot iron easily preserves the flexibility and the fall colors of foliage. New pieces of waxed paper must by used for each pressing.

Glycerizing: Allow the stems to take up and translocate a glycerin/water mixture. This is ideal for magnolia and mistletoe. Mature leaves work best, but younger leaves can be preserved, too. Some ivies, mahonia, eucalyptus, boxwood, beech, camellia, oak and rhododendron also do well if allowed to absorb glycerin. Using mature leaves, mash the stem ends of each branch with a hammer and place the stems in a warm mixture of glycerin/water (1 glycerin: 2 water, by volumes). Branches of mature leaves should be no longer than 18 inches, including the part of the stripped stem that is in the container of glycerin/water. It is important to remember that the cut branches will take up the glycerin/water mixture, so more of the mixture must be added to the container to replace that which has been taken up. Keep the solution depth at about 6 inches. After crushing the stems, some hobbyists place the plant material in a salt solution (1 tablespoon table salt/ gallon water) for 24 hours before placing them in the glycerin solution, reporting that this increases the uptake rate of the glycerin solution. If younger leaves are used however, they should be submerged completely in a 1:1 glycerin/water solution (vol./vol.), then washed once done.

You’ll know the process is complete when the entire leaf turns golden brown. It may take two to three weeks before all the foliage is done. The leaves remain flexible, and wreaths made from glycerized magnolia leaves can remain beautiful for many years. Glycerin can be obtained from your local pharmacist. Unfortunately, it is not cheap. Request the technical grade of glycerin; it is less expensive than the laboratory grade.

In addition to their use in dried arrangements, dried foliage on floral picks make excellent wreaths..

MICROWAVE DRYING

Flowers with thick petals, such as magnolia and hyacinth, do not dry well in a microwave. For microwave drying, select flowers just before they are fully opened. Fully opened flowers will often lose their petals after microwave drying. Foliage dries exceptionally well in a microwave oven.

During drying, the flowers must be supported so that they dry in their normal form. A borax/sand mixture or kitty litter will do, but silica gel works best. Cover the flower(s) as described above under desiccants. Use a setting of 4 (that’s about 300 watts) if the microwave oven has about 10 settings. If the microwave oven has a defrost setting, use that (about 200 watts). It takes about two and a half minutes to dry flowers in a half-pound of silica gel.

The best way to determine the length of time required is to employ a microwavable thermometer, which contains no metal. Place the thermometer into the silica gel about a half-inch from the covered plant material. Make sure that you can read the thermometer from outside the oven. When the temperature of the silica gel reaches about 160º F, it is done! You do not have to be concerned about the strength of the oven (its setting) or the length of time to have it on. Actually, some flowers need to be heated to 170 ºF, others to only 150 ºF, but these are exceptions. For most, it is 160 ºF.

When the container of dried flowers or foliage is removed from the microwave oven, place a lid (slightly cracked) on it, and allow it to sit for about 24 hours before carefully uncovering the flowers.

In alphabetical order, the following are just a few of the flowers that can be dried successfully in a microwave: African daisy (Gerbera), African marigold, astilbe, buttercup, chrysanthemum, cosmos, daffodil, daylily, delphinium, foxglove, goldenrod, hollyhock, hydrangea, larkspur, lilac, pansy, rose, sedum, tulip, witch hazel and zinnia.

Storing your dried flowers

Once you are done with drying your flowers, you will want to store them so you can use them whenever you want them. A good way is wrapping the flowers in newspaper and placing them in a cardboard box. Do not store the box containing the dried flowers where it is unusually damp (some basements) or very dry (some attics). Also, a lot of people think you should never store dried flowers outside (it would be way to cold). This is simply not true. Temperatures are not important. In fact, a garage can be an ideal place for storing dried flowers. Actually, if your home is heated by forced air, the preferred place to store dried flowers would be in a outside building away from the dry heat.

Word of caution: if you do store your dried flowers outside, make sure you protect them from small rodents and insects (a few mothballs will work).

Some Flowers that dry well.

Acroclinium, Swan River Everlasting
Baby's breath
Bachelor's button
Bells of Ireland
Cockscomb
Edelweiss
Globe amaranth
Larkspur
Scarlet sage and blue sage
Sea lavender
Statice
Strawflower
Xeranthemum, immortelle
Yarrow (yellow varieties best)

Grasses suitable for drying

Bristly foxtail,

Hare's-tail grass,

Fountain grass,

Pampas grass,

Eulalia grass,

Quaking grass,

Spike grass

Squirrel-tail grass.

Seed heads suitable for drying

Cat-tail,

Dock,

Honesty (Money Plant),

Iris,

Lily,

Milkweed,

Mullein,

Poppy,

Queen Anne's Lace,

Teasel

Flowers suitable for Pressing

Ageratum
Alyssum
Anemone
Azalea
Bleeding heart
Buttercup
Butterfly weed
Candytuft
Celosia, cockscomb
Chrysanthemum
Columbine
Cornflower, bachelor's button
Cosmos
Crocus
Daffodil
Daisy
Delphinium
Dutchman's breeches
Geranium
Golden red
Heath
Heather
Hydrangea
Johnny-jump-up
Larkspur
Lily-of-the-valley
Marigold
Nemesia
Pansy
Phlox
Primula
Queen Anne's lace
Rose
Salvia
Statice
Sweet pea
Verbena
Zinnia

Flowers suitable for Burying

Anemone
Aster
Baby's breath
Bachelor's button
Black-eyed Susan
Blue sage
Chrysanthemum
Daffodil
Dahlia
Daisy
Delphinium
Gloriosa daisy
Hyacinth
Larkspur
Lilac
Lily-of-the-valley
Marigold
Nierembergia
Pansy
Peony
Rose
Salvia
Scarlet sage
Snapdragon
Stock
Verbena
Zinnia

This is a satisfying and rewarding hobby and has a bit of the romantic renaissance about it. Get creative. Besides bunches or bouquets you will be able to create wreaths, swags, garlands and whatever else you can think of. For those of you who grow herbs, let your oregano flower. You will get great bunches of purple flowers to dry.