You can keep your beautiful blooms alive long after they’ve left the garden by drying them. Turn your favorite petals into timeless decor with just a few simple techniques!
Some common approaches for drying flowers include air drying, pressing, and drying with silica and glycerine. They let you hold on to the beauty of your blooms for seasons to come.
But you must choose the right flowers for the job and cut them at the right time. You should also place them in a prime spot after they’ve dried.
If you don’t know all the proper preservation methods for drying flowers, here are the best tips to keep in mind.
Air-Drying
One way to dry flowers is to air-dry them. It’s the easiest and most environmentally friendly approach. No chemicals are required, and the flowers can be put into compost when they are no longer usable as decor.
Gather fresh flowers that have just bloomed and cut them with at least six inches of stem. Remove the leaves, as too much foliage will slow down the drying process and can cause rotting.
Use a rubber band to tie the stems together and hang the flowers with the blooms facing down. Make sure to hang them in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight to retain their color. It will take about two to three weeks for them to dry.
The best flowers to air-dry include bouquets of roses, lavender, strawflower, grasses and grains, baby’s breath, hydrangeas, eucalyptus, and thistle.
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