How to Preserve Real Cut Flowers

Use dried flowers to make arrangements.

During long dark winters, dried flower arrangements can lend a sense of longed-for summer and remind you that in a few months, your garden will bloom again. Buying dried flowers can be an expensive proposition, however. Fortunately, you can save some summer blooms and dry your own. Some flowers will dry better than others, and there are multiple methods of drying flowers. Some experimentation may be in order.

Things You'll Need

• Cut flowers
• String, pipe cleaners or rubber bands
• Fine sand
• Lidded container
• Antifreeze
• Plastic jug

Instructions

Air Drying

1. Remove the leaves from the flowers you want to dry. According to horticulturist Ronald C. Smith of University of North Dakota, goldenrod, strawflowers, baby's breath, Queen Anne's lace, millet and salvia will all do well with this method.

2. Tie flowers in small bunches using pipe cleaners, string or rubber bands. Small bunches will help to prevent crushing the petals.

3. Hang the flower bunches upside down in a dark, dry place, such as a closet or attic. They will take a few weeks to dry out.

Drying in Sand

1. Pinch the flower heads from their stems.

2. Pour 2 inches of clean, fine sand into a lidded container that is big enough to hold a number of flower heads. A cookie tin, shoe box or plastic bin will work. Use your finger to dig a small depression for each flower head.

3. Set the flower heads upright into the sand depressions, and push some sand around each one to support it. Allow sand to gently sift from your hand onto each flower, letting it work its way between the petals. Cover and let stand in a dry place for a few weeks.

Preserving in Antifreeze

1. Mix two parts lukewarm water to one part antifreeze in a plastic jug or other disposable container.

2. Stand the fresh-cut flowers in the mixture, as if you were standing them in a vase, and set in a safe, dry place for three weeks. Leaves can be fully immersed. The preserved flowers will remain supple and retain much of their color with this method, according to horticulturist Ronald Smith.

3. Hang the flowers upside down after taking them from the antifreeze mixture, especially if they show signs of wilting. Hanging them will allow the antifreeze mix to make its way to the tips of the petals and leaves.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose good-looking flowers that are in bud or only partially bloomed. They may continue to bloom after the drying process begins.

• Some people dry flowers in a microwave. Heat them on full power for two minutes or more.

• Flowers dried in sand are particularly fragile. Handle them carefully.

References

• North Dakota State University: Methods of Preserving Flowers

Resources

• National Association of Agricultural Educators: Miniature Dried Flower Arrangement