How to Dry Flowers With Glycerin
If you enjoy craft projects, you may decide to dry your own flowers in glycerin to take advantage of this organic compound's ability to preserve your plants in a malleable state that can be used for many purposes. Perhaps you would like to create a distinctive-looking soap, enhance a candle, decorate stationary or create an indoor flower arrangement. No matter the need, you can easily dry your own flowers with glycerin and have them ready to use for whatever project you desire.
Things You'll Need
- Flowers, such as hydrangeas
- Scissors
- Water
- Glycerin (available from a craft or drug store)
- Container
Instructions
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1
Remove any damaged leaves from your flowers so as to keep them from showing up when they are put through the glycerin process.
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2
Use scissors to cut the flower stems at an angle and crush or split wood stems about an inch up the stem. This process ensures that the stems absorb the glycerin mixture.
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3
Place the stems in water and allow them to soak up this hydration for a couple of hours or leave them there overnight.
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4
Mix one part glycerin with two parts of hot water in a container and stir. Prepare enough solution so that it is between 4 and 5 inches deep and mark this level on your container. Make sure to use hot water when initially creating the solution so that the glycerin does not fall to the bottom, which prevents proper mixing. Allow the mixture to cool until the solution is warm to the touch.
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5
Position the flower stems in the glycerin solution and leave them in there until the solution, which appears brown, travels to the top of the flowers. During this time, maintain the solution's level by mixing a diluted mixture of one part glycerin to four parts water and pour this in the container until it reaches the original mark.
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6
Remove your flowers when the glycerin solution, which appears brown, has traveled to the top of the flower. Depending on the variety of blossom used, flowers may be ready in a day or take a couple of months to dry.
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