How To Dry Roses
Helpful Hints on How to Dry Roses
Sometimes you may like to keep roses with sentimental value with you for a long time and it is good to know how to dry roses. Roses are gorgeous to look at and sweet smelling, but like all flowers they do eventually fade and die. However, by drying them you preserve the look and grace of the bloom and can enjoy it as part of an arrangement for a long time.
There are a couple of reasons people usually dry flowers. The most frequent one is the emotional attachment of flowers associated with a specific occasion. So a rose from a special date or a wedding anniversary when dried can be a visible reminder of the lovely occasion for weeks to come. The person giving the flowers can also choose to give dried blooms to demonstrate that they like the idea of flowers but they also want to give something that lasts a long while. If giving a dried flower, you can choose one single rose or a whole bouquet of it.
There are others who dry flowers because they want a long lasting arrangement for decorative purposes and they do not like the look of silk or other artificial flowers. These people appreciate the naturalness of a flower and believe it is best captured by drying it. The colors and shape of a dried natural flower are quite distinct from that of an artificial flower and for some arrangements the former is a better fit.
Whatever the reason you choose to dry your roses, there four simple ways you can achieve your goal. There are some things to keep in mind whichever approach you choose. It is best to use a flower early in its bloom. A fading or withering flower may not stand up to the drying process. While the rose has to be early in its bloom, you can encourage a little bit of spreading of petals by gentling pulling them away from the central bud. If the bloom is too tight, it will not show to advantage when dried. Make sure that the roses you are using are not overly wet. This may at best prolong the process and at worst lead to mildewed flowers. Remember to handle dried roses carefully for they are likely to be fragile and can break easily. A sealant such as a hair spray can help preserve the look of the dried roses.
Air drying is the most common and popular way of drying roses. It is a simple process in which you let the flowers hang upside down from a clothes line or ribbon in a warm and well ventilated room for about two weeks. This will allow all the moisture to wick away from the flower and it will dry out evenly. Roses dried this way retain much of their original color. If you are drying multiple roses hang them in a line without them touching each other. This method is particularly recommended to roses just about to bloom.
There is another method for those figuring out how to dry roses. Desiccant drying is particularly effective for roses already in full bloom. In this method, the roses are surrounded by silica gel crystals in an airtight container and left in an undisturbed place for about 10 days. The roses are placed stem down. The container has to be a little larger than the length of the roses to make sure the flowers can stand straight and still be completely covered. Layer the bottom of the container with the silica gel crystals, place the flowers and then cover the flowers with more gel crystals.
You can also dry roses in sand and while this process is a little more elaborate, it is very effective. Cut the roses in their bloom and leave about one inch of stem attached. The petals and the stem have to be thoroughly dried. You should then press a florist's wire into the stem and bring it out through the main part of the flower. Fill a box or plastic container with sand and start placing the roses upright one next to the other. You can fill the sand around the base and then gently add sand over the petals. This process helps dry the flower while capturing its shape. It is best to use white sand that is available from the local building supplier and this is likely to be pre-washed and cleaned. It is critical to make sure the sand is completely dry before you start this process. One you have completely covered the blooms with sand you have to leave the container in a dry area for anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks depending on the humidity level of the drying area. When you take out the dried roses, you have to carefully shake out the sand from the box and free the roses and gently dust off the sand before taking them out of the box.
An age-old method of drying roses which is still popular and effective is pressing the flower between the pages of a heavy book. By placing a wax paper on either side of the flower you can get a delicate pressed flower without damaging the book.
These are all fairly simple processes that do not require you to invest much in terms of time or money to create your own striking display of dried roses. Any of these steps can get you expert credentials and others will soon be seeking your advice on how to dry roses.