Flowers are delicate and beautiful, but it is difficult to maintain a full state for long. Drying flowers is an ingenious way to retain their beauty and fragrance, so that we can still enjoy their unique flavor after they have faded, for decorating our home, making sachet or as a craft material. Here is a detailed flower drying guide.
Choose The Right Flowers
Not all flowers are suitable for drying and should be selected with consideration. In general, flowers with thicker petals and relatively low water content are more suitable. For example, common roses, lavender, starry sky, forget-me-not, etc. are good choices for drying. Rose petals are thick and colorful, and can be used to make dried flower decorative paintings or scented tea after drying.
Lavender flowers are small, fragrant, made of dried flowers can send charming aroma for a long time, used in sachet or placed in the wardrobe to repel insects and increase fragrance; The star flower type is fine, and can still maintain a fluffy posture after drying, adding romantic atmosphere to the dry bouquet; Bright and resistant to fading, forget-me-not is a great choice for making dried flower bookmarks or decorative items. When selecting, choose flowers that are fully open but have not yet begun to fade, so as to ensure that they maintain good shape and color during the drying process.
Prepare The Drying Tools And The Site
The preparation of tools and a place is essential for the flowers to dry. First, you need to prepare some fine twine or wire for tying flowers. Scissors are also necessary to trim the flower branches. The drying site can choose a well-ventilated, dry place that can avoid direct sunlight, such as an indoor ventilated windowsill, a corner of the balcony or a special drying rack. If drying outdoors, be sure to have an awning or other shelter to prevent the sun from causing the flowers to change color or deform too quickly. You can also get some small clips to attach the flowers to a string or drying rack.
Different Drying Methods
1. Hanging upside down method
This is the most common and relatively simple method. Arrange the selected flowers well, use a fine twine or wire in the flower branch near the flower gently bind, be careful not to hurt the flower branch. Then, the bunched flowers are hung upside down in the prepared drying area. For example, tie a rope to a ventilated windowsill railing and hang flowers upside down in turn, keeping a certain distance between flowers to avoid touching or squeezing each other.
The advantage of hanging upside down is that it allows the flowers to naturally stretch under the action of gravity and maintain a more natural shape. Most flowers, such as roses and lavender, are suitable for this method. Generally, depending on the size and water content of the flowers, the drying time is about 1-2 weeks. During the period to often check the degree of dryness of the flowers, when the petals become crisp, lightly touched will not deform, it means that the basic drying.
2. Flat drying method
For some flowers with smaller flowers, thinner branches or petals that fall off easily, the flat drying method is more suitable. Find a clean, dry and well-ventilated surface, such as a large tray, bamboo woven sieve, etc. Spread the flowers evenly on top, taking care not to overlap too much, and try to give each flower full exposure to the air. Flowers can be covered with a layer of gauze, which will prevent dust from falling in, and will not affect the ventilation. Forget-me-not, Starry Sky, etc., can use this method. During the drying process, the flowers should be turned regularly to dry them evenly. This method may take a little longer, about 2-3 weeks, until the flowers are completely dry and no moisture remains.
3. Desiccant method
If you want to dry your flowers faster and maintain their shape and color better, you can use the desiccant method. The common desiccant has silica gel granules, sand and so on. Prepare a large airtight container and line the bottom of the container with a layer of desiccant. Then place the flowers carefully in the container and slowly cover the flowers with the desiccant, making sure that every part is covered.
For example, bury rose petals one by one in silicone pellets. Seal the container and place in a dry place. This method usually dries the flowers in 3-5 days. When drying is complete, carefully remove the flowers from the desiccant and gently shake off any remaining desiccant. However, when using this method, attention should be paid to choosing the appropriate desiccant to avoid the residue of harmful substances to the human body.
Finishing And Preservation After Drying
After the flowers are dried, they also need to be arranged and preserved to extend their service life. First, gently shake off any impurities or debris that may remain on the flowers. For some dried flowers with longer stems, use scissors to trim the length of stems as needed. Then, dried flowers of the same kind or color can be arranged into a bouquet, tied with colored ribbons or twine, and placed as a decorative bouquet.
If you want to store dried flowers for a long time, they should be placed in a dry, ventilated, and dark place to avoid moisture and direct sunlight to cause dried flowers to deteriorate or fade. You can put the dried flowers in a sealed glass container, paper box or cloth bag, and put some desiccant or insect repellent in the container to prevent the dried flowers from getting damp and insects. For example, adding a small bag of desiccant and a few pieces of insect repellent camphor wood to the cloth bag where the dried lavender flowers are stored can make the flowers last longer and give off a charming aroma.
It is not difficult to dry flowers, as long as you master the main points of selecting flowers, prepare the appropriate tools and venues, use the correct drying method and do a good job of sorting and preservation after drying, you can successfully fix the beauty of flowers, so that they continue to bloom in the years of unique charm, adding a natural and poetic life.
Conclusion
Whether it is made of dried flowers into exquisite dried flower photo frames, decorated on the wall of the warm living room, so that every eye flow can encounter that touch of never-fading gorgeous; Or fill it into the sachet, put it on the pillow, in the quiet night with a wisp of fragrance sleep; Or as a manual creation of smart elements, embellished in homemade greeting cards, gift packaging, giving it a unique deep feeling.
These dried flowers condensed by sunshine and time will be integrated into every corner of life with their different gestures, becoming the eternal witness of memory and beauty, so that we can still hold the exquisite and gentle gift of nature in the rush of time, and feel the quiet years and poetic long.
