How to Preserve a Mother's Day Bouquet

Preserving a Mother's Day bouquet allows you to keep the gift forever. You don't need to throw it away when it dies. Instead, the flowers can become part of your home decor. Follow these steps to preserve a Mother's Day bouquet.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber band
• Hanger
• Twine or dental floss
• Hairspray
• Box
• Silica Gel
• Preservative gel

Instructions

Air Dry the Bouquet

1. Remove excess foliage from the Mother's Day bouquet. Cut the stems, leaving them at least six inches long.

2. Wrap a rubber band around the stems to dry the bouquet together.

3. Secure the bottom of the stems to a hangar. Use twine or unflavored dental floss. You can break up the bouquet to two different bunches and attach one bunch to each end of the hanger.

4. Hang the bouquet in a cool, dry place like a closet. Leave the flowers there for two or three weeks until they're completely dry.

5. Take the Mother's Day bouquet off the hanger. Spray the flowers with hairspray to retain their shape.

6. Keep the dried flowers in a shaded part of your home. They don't do well in direct sunlight.

Use Silica Gel

1. Buy silica gel from a crafts store. This is often used to preserve bouquets.

2. Put an inch of silica gel along the bottom of a container. Make sure your Mother's Day bouquet can fit inside the container.

3. Place the bouquet in the box, on top of the silica gel.

4. Pour more silica gel on top of the flower. Get it in between the petals and around each flower.

5. Cover the box completely. Allow it to sit until completely dry.

6. Spray the bouquet with preservative spray.

Tips & Warnings

• Take the flowers out of the sun as soon as you cut the stems. This will help preserve the color.

• Use sand instead of silica gel, if you prefer.

Resources

• Tips on drying flowers.
• Information on preserving bouquets.