Those flowers may have looked good when you first received them, but despite your best efforts, you can’t keep them fresh forever.
Those flowers may have looked good when you first received them, but despite your best efforts, you can’t keep them fresh forever.
If you really want to preserve your blooms, you need to remove their moisture with a process like air-drying, pressing, or nuking them in the microwave. (You can also try dipping them in wax, but that method is harder to pull off.)
If you really want to preserve your blooms, you need to remove their moisture with a process like air-drying, pressing, or nuking them in the microwave. (You can also try dipping them in wax, but that method is harder to pull off.)
For the traditional: air-drying
To stick with a classic technique, you can simply hang your bouquet upside down. As the air wicks moisture away from the blooms, they should gradually dehydrate.
For the traditional: air-dryingTo stick with a classic technique, you can simply hang your bouquet upside down. As the air wicks moisture away from the blooms, they should gradually dehydrate.
However, this method can be a little finicky: Flowers may shed their petals, and mold can attack them. Plus, the process takes a few weeks. On the bright side, this drying technique does preserve the flowers’ stems.
However, this method can be a little finicky: Flowers may shed their petals, and mold can attack them. Plus, the process takes a few weeks. On the bright side, this drying technique does preserve the flowers’ stems.
To start, you’ll need twine or ribbon, a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight (like a closet with the door open), a hook or hanger that will support your bouquet’s weight, and, optionally, hairspray.
To start, you’ll need twine or ribbon, a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight (like a closet with the door open), a hook or hanger that will support your bouquet’s weight, and, optionally, hairspray.
For the traditional: air-drying
To stick with a classic technique, you can simply hang your bouquet upside down. As the air wicks moisture away from the blooms, they should gradually dehydrate.
For the traditional: air-dryingTo stick with a classic technique, you can simply hang your bouquet upside down. As the air wicks moisture away from the blooms, they should gradually dehydrate.
For the risk-averse: book-pressing
For the risk-averse: book-pressing
For impatient driers: silica gel
If you want results fast, you can speed up the drying process. However, these techniques require that you pay more attention to the flowers.
For impatient driers: silica gelIf you want results fast, you can speed up the drying process. However, these techniques require that you pay more attention to the flowers.
For impatient pressers: microwave pressing
Just as silica acts like a speedy version of the air-drying technique, you can use microwaves in an update of the pressing method. As the microwave radiation heats up the liquid inside flowers, it escapes as vapor, drying the blooms.
For impatient pressers: microwave pressingJust as silica acts like a speedy version of the air-drying technique, you can use microwaves in an update of the pressing method. As the microwave radiation heats up the liquid inside flowers, it escapes as vapor, drying the blooms.