Adding flowers to your home is a perfect way to add color and a breath of fresh air to the room. A bouquet of flowers will typically need to be kept in water, but what if you become really attached to one and you want it to last longer? There are actually ways to dry flowers and keep these bouquets for years.
Dried Flowers
While many flower drying methods can take a few months, you can take a shortcut by using a microwave. Vice president of merchandising at 1-800-Flowers.com Alfred Palomares says: “Pressing flowers in a microwave is a perfectly safe option for those seeking to save time and resources.” This is especially good for first time flower-dryers.
First, you’ll need to gather the flowers, coffee filters, two ceramic plates, and of course, the microwave. Place a ceramic plate in front of you and cover it with a coffee filter. Put a flower on top and cover it with another coffee filter. Next place an additional ceramic plate on top and put everything in the microwave.
Turn the microwave on for one minute and then replace the coffee filters. Repeat the process, replacing the coffee filters each time, until you are satisfied with the flower’s result.
Press Flowers In A Book
You can also try out drying flower with a heavy book, which is much less of a fussy process than the microwave. The drawback is that your results will take a few weeks. Luckily it’s so easy that once you set it up, you can totally forget about it until it is done.
Take a heavy book and open it to the middle. Place a sheet of wax paper on the pages. Cut your flower to remove it from the stem as much as you can. Put the flower in the center of the book, using your hands to flatten it. Carefully shut the book to keep the flower flattened. Let it be for 4-5 weeks, taking care to replace the absorbent material about once a week.
Use Silica Gel
You can also dry flowers using silica gel. You can find this material at craft stores. Silica gel works best for drying zinnias, roses, or any other sturdy flowers. Fill a container with the silica gel (or if the container is big enough, you can just use the silica gel container itself) and bury the flower in it. After a few days to a week, the flowers will be preserved.
Another simple method is the most traditional: hanging the flowers. Take your bouquet and secure them together with a rubber band. In a well ventilated area that is not in direct sunlight, hang the bouquet upside down. You can do this in a closet or on rafters. The petals will soon begin to shrink and change color. After a few weeks, you’ll have gorgeously dried flowers.
