When you receive flowers for a special occasion or even buy yourself a lovely bouquet, you don’t have to enjoy your flowers and then toss them out. You can preserve them to enjoy for years to come with some really simply drying and pressing techniques. Our florists at Flowers by Leslie in Portsmouth were excited to put together this guide to help you learn how to dry flowers fast.
Dried Pink Roses
Fast Flower Drying Techniques
In terms of preserving shape and color, the best way to dry flowers is air drying them while hung upside down. The problem with this method, however, is that it can take several days, depending on the weather. If you’d like to dry your flowers in less time, there are other methods you can use.
Hanging Dried Flowers
1. Dehydrator
If you own a dehydrator, like the ones used to make dried fruit, you can use it to dry flowers, too. Trim flowers first, removing unwanted leaves and stems. Then, place your flowers inside and make sure they are not overlapping. If you plan to press flowers after dehydrating, they’ll be ready after a couple of hours at 100-degrees. If you don’t plan to press them, they’ll need a couple more hours in the dehydrator.
Bouquet of Dried Pressed Flowers
2. Microwave
You can also dry flowers with a couple of minutes in the microwave. To do this, you’ll a microwave-safe container large enough to hold your blooms and silica sand. Trim unwanted leaves and stems from your flowers, then make sure they’re completely covered in sand inside the container. Place them in the microwave with a cup of water and heat on 30-second intervals, checking each time whether they’re ready. The total time required will depend on the size and type of flowers you’re drying.
Bouquet of Dried Roses
3. Oven
To dry flowers in the oven, preheat yours to its lowest heat setting. Then prepare the flowers and place them on a cookie sheet on top a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Leave them in the oven with the door cracked to allow the moisture to escape. Check on the flowers from time to time, but they will likely need eight to twelve hours to dry completely.
Which Flowers to Dry and Which to Press
How Sweet it Is
The best method for keeping a bouquet and flowers as close to its original state as possible is drying because pressing will flatten flowers, making them almost paper-thin. All flowers, like roses, daisies and mums, dry well, but some are trickier to press than others. Flowers that are naturally flat-faced or that have thinner blooms are better for pressing than thick flowers, like roses or peonies. If you do choose to press a flower with a bulbous bloom, you’ll want to cut it in half first.
While both methods work well, the one you choose to use really depends on how you want to use the flowers after. For example, if you plan to make a wreath for your door from the preserved flowers, you’ll want to dry them. If you want to frame the flowers in a botanical wreath, then we recommend pressing. Whatever method you use when drying flowers, it’s super important to remove all their moisture, as this is what will lead to rot.
Dried Flower Bouquet in Glass Vase
At Flowers by Leslie, we have a wide selection of bouquets that are perfect for preserving. For tips and recommendations on the best flowers to dry, we welcome you to stop by our shop.
