Drying or preserving your own flowers and foliage allows you to create long-lasting flower displays with a personal touch.
The three traditional techniques for drying or preserving flowers and foliage are:
- air drying
- using a drying agent or desiccant
- and steeping in a solution of glycerin and water.
These three techniques are simple and speedy, and produce economical, highly decorative results.
Fresh flowers and leaves must be in prime condition before preserving. When you are picking your own, cut them in the middle of the day when the dew has dried and the flowers have absorbed plenty of water.
AIR DRYING
There are three ways of drying by air:
- hanging the flowers upside down
- standing them upright
- or, laying them flat on newspaper.
Hanging
This method suits many flowers, especially fairly hardy specimens like sea lavender, statice and love-in-a-mist. Most flowers will be ready in one to three weeks.
1. Bunching. Tie the stems together in twos or threes using a piece of string or a rubber band. Hang the bunch upside down in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.
2. Testing results. Start testing after one week. Feel the petals gently; they should be dry but not brittle. Stems should dry right up to the flower head. Check regularly as the flowers may take up to three weeks to dry out.
Standing upright
Certain tall grasses, seed heads and woody specimens can be left standing in a container to dry. Drying times are the same as for hanging.
1. Drying upright. Stand a few stems in a container and leave them to dry. Flowers like hydrangea and gypsophila dry better when they start off with a little water in the container. Once this has been absorbed, don’t replace it.
Lying flat
Use this method for most grasses, lavender and gourds. Grasses dry in just over a week; gourds take up to three months and are hollow if tapped.
1. Drying flat. Lay the stems flat on a piece of newspaper in a cool, dry place. Spray heavily seeded grasses with hairspray to prevent them from exploding while they are drying.
SILICA GEL
In this drying method, silica gel absorbs moisture from the flower, while preserving its brightness and shape. It is the only way to dry delicate flowers like freesias and narcissi, and is particularly suitable for multi-petaled types like roses and ranunculus.
Silica gel is sold as crystals in chemists. Buy blue ones that change to pink as they soak up the moisture, so you will know when the flowers are ready. The crystals can be reused by simply warming them in the oven until they have turned blue again.
Airtight method
1. Cutting the flowers. Trim the stems off the flowers, leaving a stump about ¾ inches (2cm) long. Once dried you can attach an artificial stem made from florist’s wire.
2. Crushing the crystals. If the crystals are larger than grains of castor sugar, use a coffee grinder to pulverize them, remembering to clean it out thoroughly afterwards, or put them in a strong plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
3. Preparing the container. Cover the bottom of an airtight container like a biscuit tin with silica gel crystals. Space the flowers out on top. Daisy shapes face down; rounded ones like roses face up. Gently pile more crystals over the flowers, using a tablespoon or sieve, taking care not to crush the petals. If the container is deep enough you can add another layer of flowers. Cover the container with cling film to ensure a good seal, and then replace the lid.
4. Checking the flowers. Check the flowers at the top of the container every day, shaking off the silica gel very gently. When ready, the petals will feel papery. Take care not to over dry the flowers or they will become brittle.
Microwave method
This way of using silica gel retains the color and form of the flowers well, and takes only minutes to work. Use a container suitable for use in a microwave oven, like an open cardboard box or plastic container without a lid.
1. Microwaving the plants. Prepare the plants as for the airtight method. Place the container of plants and a separate glass of water in the microwave. Set the microwave to full power for one to four minutes, depending on the bulk and weight of the flower. Fragile blooms like freesias and narcissi may take only one minute; multi-petaled, cupped varieties take longer. Allow the crystals to cool slightly before testing the dryness of the petals. Repeat if they have not dried sufficiently.
GLYCERIN
Preserving woody stemmed foliage or a fleshy plant like bells of Ireland with glycerin gives it a waxy quality. Unlike other preserving methods, it doesn’t dry the plant. Instead the plant’s water is slowly replaced with glycerin which darkens the leaves and stems and keeps them supple and glossy. The process takes between one and three weeks, depending on the plant. Glycerin is available from chemists and grocers.
1. Picking the foliage. Pick the foliage you want to preserve when the leaves are in peak condition.
2. Preparing foliage. Remove the lowest leaves from the stems. Cut the stems at an angle, hammering the ends of woody stems to ensure good absorption.
3. Mixing the glycerin. Mix a solution of one part glycerin to two parts very hot water, stirring thoroughly.
4. Adding the foliage. Stand foliage in a tall, clear container and pour in 3 inches (7.5cm) of glycerin solution. Put in a cool, dark place for 1-3 weeks, topping up the solution when necessary. If the leaves sweat, wipe with a damp cloth. If they wilt, remove from the solution, cut off the stems ends again, hammer and replace. The foliage is ready when it has changed to a darker color.
