How to Preserve Flowers with Silica Gel

Preserve your favorite flowers by drying them with silica gel.

Fresh cut flowers are great for adding color and fragrance to your home or for showing a loved one that you care. The only problem with fresh bouquets is that they only last for a week or two, at most. Pretty soon, their vibrant petals start to fade and droop, and you have to toss them in the garbage can. However, with a few simple steps, you can preserve your flowers by drying them with silica gel. This is a great way to preserve flowers from special events, like proms and weddings.

Things You'll Need

• Flowers
• Large airtight plastic or glass container
• Silica gel beads
• Oven pan
• Paintbrush

Instructions

1. Obtain silica gel at a craft shop or online. It is the same stuff that comes in little packets when you buy shoes, electronics, and vitamins. These tiny little beads soak up excess moisture, keeping a product fresh and free of dampness.

2. Pick a container to dry your flowers in. It should be a glass or plastic container with an airtight lid. Make sure it is large enough to accommodate the flowers. If you are drying several different types of flowers, separate them into different containers. Some flowers with thicker petals take longer to dry than ones with thin petals and stems.

3. Fill the bottom of the container with the silica gel beads. Make the layer an inch or two deep, depending on how large the flowers are. Flowers with thicker petals and stems will require more silica gel. Spread the beads evenly across the bottom.

4. Place the flowers inside the container, on top of the silica gel, face up, if possible. Gently pour the rest of the silica gel into the container until it covers the rest of the flowers. To fill in all the gaps that the flowers form, pour the silica gel down the sides of the container and very gently shake it to fill in the holes.

5. Put the lid on the container once the flowers are completely covered. Repeat this process for all the different types of flowers you are drying. Any outside air that enters the container will bring extra moisture in, so don't open the container again.

6. Allow the flowers to dry for approximately a week. Some manufacturers sell silica gel specifically for the purpose of drying flowers. They come with indicator beads that will change colors when they have retained all the excess moisture. These can be used as an indicator to tell when the flowers have dried. Most varieties of flowers will be dry within a week.

7. Remove the flowers from the container. Use a clean paintbrush to dust any remaining beads off of the flowers.

8. Dry out the silica gel so that you can use it again. Pour the silica gel into an oven pan and bake it for an hour at 250 degrees. After it cools for a few minutes, pour the gel into an airtight container and store it until you need to use it again.

References

• Missouri.edu: Drying Flowers and Foliage for Arrangements

Resources

• Florage.com: Drying Flowers