Whether you have a wedding bouquet, anniversary flowers, or an arrangement you find especially stunning, you can enjoy them for years to come. Instead of letting your flowers wilt, you can dry them to enjoy forever! Our flower experts at Bagoy’s Florist put together a list of some of the best techniques for drying flowers to preserve their vibrant colors and beautiful shapes.
Bouquet of Dried Roses
Top 4 Techniques for Drying Flowers
No matter how you choose to dry your flowers, it’s essential that all the moisture is removed. Any leftover moisture in flowers will cause them to rot. Once dry, you can mist your flowers with a few coats of hairspray to strengthen the dried blooms, protect them from the elements, and lock in their beauty.
1. Hang Dry
This is the traditional method of drying flowers. Arrange your bouquet how you like it and then tie the stems together with string. Attach the opposite end of the string to a stick, ceiling beam, or clothing hanger and hang the flowers upside down. It’s important to hang them in an area that doesn’t receive direct sunlight, as this will cause the flowers’ colors to fade. Let the flowers continue to hang for several days, until completely dry.
Hanging Dried Flowers
2. Oven
If you don’t want to wait quite as long or can’t find any string, you can also dry flowers in the oven. Preheat your oven to its lowest setting and line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Arrange the flowers so they’re not touching and warm them in the oven with the door cracked open to let the moisture escape. Keep an eye on the flowers, as they dry, keeping in mind that most will need about eight to twelve hours to dry completely.
Dried Peach Roses
3. Microwave
With the right supplies, you can dry flowers in the microwave in a matter of minutes. You’ll need a microwave-safe container and silica sand. First, remove any unwanted leaves and stems from your blooms. Next, place arrange them in the container and cover completely with silica sand. Along with a cup of water, put your flowers in the microwave and cook in 30-second intervals. Check the flowers’ progress after each 30 seconds in the microwave. Time needed to dry varies based on the size and type of flower, but most will be reading in two or three minutes.
Dried Pink Roses
4. Dehydrator
If you have a kitchen dehydrator for drying produce and other foods, you can also use it to dehydrate flowers. Arrange the blooms so they’re not overlapping and set your dehydrator to 100 degrees. If you plan to press the flowers after drying, they’ll only need to dehydrate for a couple of hours. If you want to dry them completely in the dehydrator, they’ll need several hours.
Which Flowers Are the Best for Drying?
Pink Celebration
While some flowers, especially those with naturally flat blooms, turn out wonderful when pressed, others fare better when dried using the above-listed methods. We recommend drying, instead of pressing, any flowers that have thicker blooms, such as bouquets of roses, carnations, and hydrangea. Other flowers that are popular for drying include globe thistle, asters, statice, dragon’s breath, and lavender.
Dried Flower Bouquet in Glass Vase
For more tips on preserving flowers or recommendations on the most beautiful bouquets to dry, we welcome you to stop by Bagoy’s Florist to speak with a flower expert.
