You’re lacking out when you haven’t tried drying your home-grown flowers but. They could solely final every week or two in a vase when lower contemporary, however when dried and preserved, they’ll final months and even years, permitting you to benefit from the fruits of your labor nicely past the season.

Relying on your chosen flowers and what you wish to use them for, there are a number of drying strategies to strive. Some are additionally extra pricey than others however usually ship higher outcomes. Weigh up your choices to resolve which of those strategies works greatest for you, or higher but, strive all of them for your self.

When you’ve completed drying your flowers, you should use Modge Podge, spray sealant, and even hairspray to increase their lifespan or show or use them as they’re.

Air Drying

If you wish to protect your backyard blooms to make use of in dried flower bouquets, air drying is the strategy to decide on.

This is likely one of the most typical drying strategies for each effectiveness and accessibility. You don’t want fancy devices or costly merchandise – only a dry and darkish room to hold your blooms.

Air drying retains the stems intact, excellent for standing up in a vase or including to different preparations. It does take a number of weeks for the flowers to dry utterly, but it surely preserves shade and form nicely, making it definitely worth the wait in comparison with faster however much less efficient strategies.

It’s greatest to select blooms with skinny petals and low moisture content material, together with within the stems. Increased moisture ranges imply they are going to take for much longer to dry out and should rot earlier than they’ll dry successfully.

Hydrangea, lavender, and strawflowers are nice choices for air drying. It’s additionally nice for maintaining extra delicate sorts, like roses, intact when you don’t plan to take away the petals for issues like potpourri.

How To Air Dry

Profitable air drying begins with selecting the flowers on the proper time. Some are greatest picked early for the strongest shade, whereas others should open totally to enhance form and drying time. It’s usually higher to select earlier reasonably than later to cease them from browning.

Trim an extended sufficient part of the stem to make hanging a breeze. Bunch them collectively and tie the stems with string or a rubber band. Then, hold them the wrong way up to maintain the stems sturdy and the flowers upright.

The room you hold in needs to be dry and darkish. This helps protect shade and velocity up the drying course of. Hold them distant from direct daylight, which is able to shortly flip the petals brown.

The time it takes for the blooms to utterly dry will rely upon the kinds and the time you narrow them. On common, you’ll be able to take them down and use them after about two to 4 weeks.

Silica Gel

Silica gel delivers even higher outcomes than air drying, with much less lack of petals or whole blooms. It does require a couple of extra instruments to get began, however when you plan on usually drying or are preserving a particular bouquet (like your marriage ceremony bouquet), that is the route I’d go for.

Silica gel absorbs moisture from the petals over time, drying them with minimal shade and form change. It’s the identical substance from the small packages used to maintain gadgets like baggage or sneakers dry throughout transportation and storage, simply on a bigger scale.

So long as you’ve sufficient silica gel to cowl the flowers you wish to dry, you should use this technique with any blooms from the backyard. It’s best for brighter blooms with vibrant colours you wish to protect.

Sadly, silica gel could be expensive. It’s one of the vital costly strategies on this listing (bar the home equipment when you don’t have them already). You need to additionally put on a masks when coping with the gel to stop inhalation. However it’s price a strive when you’re keen to get previous these cons.

With the assistance of a microwave, you too can flip this into the quickest drying technique obtainable, however that step is optionally available.

How To Dry With Silica Gel

To get began, you’ll want an hermetic container, a masks and gloves, a paintbrush, and sufficient silica gel to cowl your chosen blooms. Trim early within the morning to protect the form of the flowers, drying off any moisture gently with a paper towel.

Put your masks and gloves on earlier than opening the silica gel packet. Fill the underside of your container with a layer of silica gel, putting the flowers gently on high. Use a brush to mud extra silica gel across the petals and within the heart of the flower till it’s frivolously however utterly lined.

Seal the container and go away for a couple of days to permit the petals to dry out. Thinner blooms will solely take two or three days, whereas dense blooms like zinnias want somewhat extra time to dry out utterly. Pull them out whenever you’re accomplished, and gently mud off any extra gel earlier than displaying.

To scale back the drying time from a couple of days to minutes, you too can place the container within the microwave (so long as it’s microwave-safe). Hold the lid off and warmth within the microwave for one to 2 minutes. Watch out when eradicating because the silica gel will likely be sizzling. Nevertheless, it’s greatest to err on the facet of much less time than extra, as you’re not making an attempt to cook dinner your flowers!

Sand

For individuals who don’t wish to fork out the cash for expensive silica gel, you too can use sand to dry your flowers equally. The sand absorbs among the extra moisture within the petals, though it does take longer for them to dry this fashion. You can even use a clay-type kitty litter when you don’t have coarse sand.

Whereas it’s cheaper, drying in sand delivers combined outcomes. Sand is sort of heavy and might injury the form of the flower or take away among the petals, particularly whenever you’re making an attempt to take away them from the sand.

The drying usually seems uneven, and the colour isn’t as well-preserved as it might be with silica gel. However it’s nonetheless barely quicker than air-drying and doesn’t price a lot if you have already got sand accessible to you.

Keep away from utilizing blooms with very delicate petals utilizing this technique, as they are going to be simply pulled off. Bigger varieties with dense petals, like dahlias, work higher than delicate ones like hydrangeas.

How To Dry With Sand

The method is similar as drying in silica gel. Place a layer of sand in an hermetic container and lay the flowers inside, fastidiously protecting them with a layer of sand. Shut the container and go away for a number of days earlier than checking the drying progress.

You need to fastidiously take away the flowers as sand is heavier than silica gel. Pull them out gently to maintain the petals connected, dismissing any extra sand earlier than use.

Ebook Press

Urgent flowers between the pages of books is a standard and basic drying technique that comes with a contact of nostalgia. Pressed blooms are perfect for use in crafts, setting in resin, framing, or, my private favourite – maintaining within the books as a bookmark.

Relying in your chosen flowers, this technique takes a couple of month to finish – probably longer. It additionally requires loads of persistence and restraint, as you’ll be able to’t examine on them whereas they dry. In case you open the e book too early, you danger pulling off petals that haven’t utterly dried but.

A e book is the most affordable technique, utilizing issues you have already got round your house. Your chosen e book needs to be comparatively heavy (like a textbook or dictionary) or weighed with different objects to shut the pages successfully. Relying on the flower’s form, you too can wrap a belt across the e book to carry the pages in place.

Ink can switch in some books, so it’s greatest to line the pages with watercolor paper to soak up moisture. This makes them simpler to take away with out injury, as pressed blooms are extremely delicate.

How To Press Utilizing Books

When selecting your flowers for urgent, select ones with skinny petals that can look good pressed flat. You may press a spread of blooms efficiently, however not all will look as fairly when flattened. Crops like cosmos or California poppies are best, or you’ll be able to search for smaller blooms like forget-me-not.

Place them between the e book’s pages, manipulating the petals into the specified form when dried. Fastidiously shut the pages and place heavy objects on high – maybe extra heavy books when you’ve got them.

After a couple of month, take away the books, open the pages, and punctiliously slide the flowers out. Deal with fastidiously after elimination to maintain the petals intact.

Flower Press

Those that dry usually might wish to think about investing in a flower press. The mechanism is similar as urgent with a e book, however with a devoted press, you don’t have to fret about weighing books down or unintentionally breaking flowers whenever you pull them out.

There are numerous flower presses obtainable to buy on-line or at craft shops. Some use belts or straps to tighten and press, whereas others have bolts to screw in and preserve the boards in place. Flower presses are additionally comparatively straightforward to make utilizing scrap wooden, screws, and cardboard or felt.

Like e book urgent, select flowers that look good when pressed flat. Pale blue and violet daisy-like aster blooms are an excellent choice. You need to additionally think about whether or not the crops you wish to dry will match inside your press. Past these considerations, you’ll be able to choose nearly any plant to pop into your press.

How To Dry Utilizing A Flower Press

Choose your chosen flowers early within the morning when the petals are nonetheless sturdy and upright. You may both trim the stem or go away it, relying on what you wish to use them for. Strip the leaves or preserve them on if you would like a fuller look (when framing, for instance).

Lay the crops inside your press, shifting till you’ve your required form. In case you’re drying a number of flowers directly, go away somewhat area between them so that they don’t stick collectively. Tighten the press and go away for a couple of month earlier than eradicating your delicate creations.

Oven Drying

In case you’re quick on time and have restricted provides, oven-drying works in a pinch. It’s not a most popular technique due to its influence on the flowers, but it surely’s price a strive when you’re simply experimenting with blooms out of your backyard.

The issue with oven drying is the influence on shade and form. Oven-dried blooms don’t retain their shade nicely, and the petals usually fall off with out warning. It may be useful for blooms the place form will not be a priority – like drying lavender for potpourri – however isn’t best for shows.

How To Dry Utilizing The Oven

To keep away from burning, set your oven to the bottom attainable temperature. Line a tray with baking paper to stop sticking and lay the flowers on the tray, leaving a little bit of area between every one.

Go away the tray within the oven for a few hours with the door open very barely to permit the moisture to flee. Examine on them usually to guarantee they don’t burn or flip too brown. Smaller sorts will take round six to eight hours to utterly dry.

Dehydrating

Lastly, if you have already got a meals dehydrator, you too can use it to dry your flowers. This technique preserves shade significantly better than drying within the oven, however the crops turn into fairly brittle and should be dealt with fastidiously.

You may dehydrate any sort of flowers in the event that they match simply into your dehydrator. It really works nicely for these with thinner petals, like carnations or daisies. You can even dry particular person petals for crafts or potpourri because the flowers maintain their scent comparatively nicely.

How To Dry Utilizing A Dehydrator

Place your flowers within the dehydrator, leaving a little bit of area between them to cease them from sticking collectively. Don’t overload the dehydrator – dry fewer directly reasonably than too many to make sure they preserve their form and don’t get broken.

Set your dehydrator to 90F and dry for a few hours. You may go as excessive as 120F, however don’t go above this warmth degree as it could possibly trigger discoloration. Smaller flowers will dry faster than bigger ones, so occasions will range. It might solely take an hour or two for small and delicate blooms, however examine progress usually to find out the perfect time to take away them. Drying for too lengthy will make the petals crisp.

Last Ideas

Though air drying is essentially the most generally really helpful technique, it’s actually not the one one. Every of those strategies works nicely for drying, and the one you select ought to rely upon how a lot time you’ve, what you need the flowers to appear to be, and what you wish to use them for.