| Drying flowers lets you preserve thevibrant blooms of spring, summerand fall to enjoy year-round. Techniquesfor drying flowers aren't complicated ortime-consuming, and the dried flowerscan be used in arrangements and as dec-orations on wreaths, hats and baskets.For best color and form, gather flowerswhen thoroughly dry but not wilted fromthe sun. Late morning is the best time. Ifthe cut flowers are wet, blot them dry toprevent mold from forming. Try to selectthe most perfect specimens and pick theflowers at various stages of bloom—fromtiny buds to just before the peak of bloom.The flowers will open more as they dry. Ifyou can't begin the drying process imme-diately after cutting, put the flower stemsinto lukewarm water and set in a cool,dark place. There are three basic dryingmethods, each suitable for different flow-ers: air drying, desiccant drying and ovendrying. Note; To allow greater flexibility whenusing flowers in an arrangement, attachthe natural flower stems to wire stemsprior to air drying or desiccant drying.(Wiring is recommended particularly forstrawflowers, which have stems that don'tstand up well during air drying.) Take afreshly cut, completely dry flower and cutoff all but 1 or 2 inches of natural stem.Insert a 6-inch piece of floral wire (#20 to#26 gauge) into the stem and up throughthe base of the flower so that the wire pro-trudes above the blossom. Make a smallhook in the protruding end, then carefullydraw the hook back into the flower untilthe hook is firmly in place and out ofsight. Once the flower is dry, you canlengthen the wire stem. To do this, fold apiece of floral wire in half and place italongside the end of the wire stem. Wrap%-inch-wide green floral tape downwardin a spiral, twirling the stem and stretch-ing the tape for a tight fit. | Air Drying
amaranth
artemesia
baby's breath
butterfly weed
celosia
Chinese lantern plant
delphinium
golden rod
heather
hydrangea
monkshood
salvia
stotice
strawf lower | Desiccani Drying
azalea
carnation
chrysanthennurn
cockscomb
daffodil
dahlia
daisy
dogwood blossom
geranium
larkspur
lilac
peony
rose
snapdragon
zinnia
Oven Drying
all flowers |
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AIR DRYING:
Air drying is best for flowers that havetiny, clustered petals and for grasses,grains, pods, seed heads and mosses.Strip any dead leaves from fresh-cutstems, then tie three or four stemstogether tightly with a rubber band a fewinches from the stem ends. The bunchesshould be small so that air circulates freelyaround all sides and into the centers.Thick-stemmed flowers should be hungseparately.The greatest enemies of air-driedflowers are direct sunlight and humidity:Sun fades the true colors and humidityslows the drying process, causing moldand mildew to form. Hang the bunchesupside down in a dry, dark, warm placewhere there is movement of air.A well-ventilated attic, staircase,closet or spare room are suitable. Attach thebunches to metal clothes hangers withstring or hang them on a nail, dowel orclothesline. Long-stemmed flowers, suchas baby's breath and Chinese lanternplant, should be dried upright in a tallcontainer to achieve gracefully curvedstems. Drying takes from one to three or moreweeks, depending on humidity, ventila-tion and type of flowers. However, it isbest to check the flowers daily. When com-pletely dry, the flowers and leaves will bestiff to the touch and the stems will snapeasily. Once dried, the flowers can con-tinue to hang or stand, or they can bestored in tightly sealed shoe boxes ordress boxes lined with tissue paper. Placeno more than three layers per box, withtissue paper between the layers. Label thebox with contents and date.
 | DESICCANT DRYING:
Desiccants, or drying agents, are sub-stances that readily absorb moisture fromflowers to preserve them in their naturalcolor and shape. Two desiccants to con-sider are sand and silica gel.Sand. Clean sand is the cheapest desic-cant. The sand to use is silica sand, alsoknown as white silver sand or floral sand. Itis pure white with the look and feel ofsugar. It is available at garden centers,hardware stores and pet stores. You canreuse the sand by sifting out any particlesthat might have contaminated it. Flowerswill dry in sand in one to three weeks.Silica Gel. This is a chemical resemblingwhite sand that absorbs molecules ofwater. It is lightweight, quick-drying,reusable and considered the best dryingagent for retaining a flower's color andform. Silica gel is available at craft stores,hobby shops, garden centers and fromflorists. Silica gel has blue cobalt chloridecrystals mixed among the white granules.These crystals act as moisture indicatorsby changing color: bright blue when thegel is completely dry, pale blue when thegel is somewhat wet, and pink or whitewhen the gel is saturated. To redry thegel, place it in a 250°F oven for a fewhours or until the crystals are bright blueagain. Or microwave it at HIGH for aboutfive minutes. Store the dry gel in an air-tight container. Most flowers will dry inthree to five days in silica gel.Going Undercover. The mechanics ofcovering the flowers are the same nomatter which desiccantyou use. Spreada 1 - to 2-inch layer of desiccant on thebottom of a container. Position flowersaccording to shape: faceup for cups, suchas roses; facedown for radial shapes, suchas daisies; flat for sprays, such as snap-dragons. Bend the wire stems at rightangles to fit into the container. Carefullypush the drying agent up under the lowerpetals for support. Large flower heads,such as zinnias, should be supported on afolded piece of cardboard notched in thefold.With the flowers in place, carefullycover with desiccant, letting it trickle froma paper cup or through your fingers. Usethe blunt end of a paintbrush or a tooth-pick to carefully separate the petals asyou sift the desiccant slowly into, underand all around the flowers. Cover theflowers completely, label the containerwith contents and date, and set in a dryplace. Seal the container if using silica gel;leave the container uncovered if usingsand. To check the flowers, gently tap offsome of the desiccant to expose part of apetal. This should feel dry but not brittle.If it seems right, empty the desiccant byallowing it to flow down and away intoanother container without disturbing theflowers. Use a soft paintbrush to removeany desiccant clinging to the petals.If not using the flowers immediately,wrap them carefully in tissue paper andstore them in a labeled covered box in adry place. It is best to store all dried flow-ers during the humid summer monthsto prevent absorption of moisture fromthe air. |
OVEN DRYING:
Microwave Oven: Drying flowers andfoliage in a microwave oven takes mereminutes. Insert one or more flowers insidea folded paper towel or napkin, with twotowels or napkins above and two belowto absorb moisture. Place a microwave-safe plate on top to keep the flowers flat.Microwave at HIGH until flowers are dryand crisp, about two to three minutes. Iftoo dry, try again with fresh flowers andreduce heating time. (Drying time willvary with each variety of flower.) | Conventional Oven:
To dry flowers andfoliage in a conventional oven, spreadindividual blossoms or leaves in a singlelayer on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheetin a slow oven, no higher than 100°F, withthe oven door slightly ajar. Check blos-soms or leaves frequently until dry. (Dry-ing time will vary from a few minutes toseveral hours, depending on variety.) |
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