How to Dry Roses With Color

Many people enjoy preserving roses received as a gift for a special occasion.

Roses you grow in your garden lose their petals and die within a few days. Drying them helps preserve the color and beauty of the flowers. The old-fashioned way of drying roses by hanging them upside down or smashing them between the pages of a thick book is effective in preserving them, but the color changes or fades dramatically using these methods. One of the most effective ways to dry roses and retain their color is by using a microwave oven.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp knife or scissors
• Microwave-safe dish with a lid (large enough to hold the roses lying down)
• Silica gel
• Spoon
• Fine, soft brush
• Acrylic spray

Instructions

1. Pick roses that are still in a bud shape or that have recently come into full bloom. Select them after the dew has dried, or blot them with a paper towel to remove the moisture.

2. Cut the stem of the roses with a sharp knife or scissors so that they will fit into the microwave-safe dish.

3. Pull the leaves off the stem of the rose. They do not dry well.

4. Sprinkle about 1 or 2 inches of the silica gel in the bottom of the dish.

5. Lay the roses down onto the silica gel. You can dry several roses at once but do not crowd them in the container.

6. Pour a generous layer of the silica gel on top of the roses in the dish. If you are using fully bloomed roses, instead of rosebuds, place them in the container so that the petals are facing upward. Don't put so much silica gel on the flowers that it bends the petals unnaturally, but a generous amount is necessary for the best results.

7. Set the dish into the microwave and turn it on one or two settings above defrost.

8. Turn the microwave on for one to two minutes. The time necessary in your appliance may vary.

9. Remove the silica gel from one of the roses by gently brushing it away with a spoon. Check to see if the flower appears to be dried. If not, turn the microwave on for another minute and check again. It may take as long as five minutes to preserve the roses.

10. Open the door to the microwave and quickly place the lid on the container.

11. Remove the covered dish from the microwave and vent it slightly -- 1/10 inch (1/4 cm) is acceptable. Leave the container alone for 24 hours. This allows the roses and gel to cool down thoroughly and finishes the preservation process.

12. Remove the roses from the container and use a fine, soft brush to get rid of any remaining silica gel.

13. Spray the roses lightly with an acrylic spray if you desire. This gives them a shine and helps preserve them longer.

Tips & Warnings

• Microwaves come in a wide range of sizes and wattage; a bit of experimentation is necessary the first time or two that you preserve flowers using this method. Jot down the time and quantity of the roses or any other flowers you preserve using this method. This helps you in future flower drying projects.

• Silica gel is available at florist shops, craft and hobby and many discount stores. It may be used repeatedly to dry other batches of flowers.

• If you do not have a microwave, you can put the roses into the silica gel, cover the container and leave them for two days or up to a week. Check them periodically, if left too long, they may become too dry and brittle.

• If the flowers tend to dry out too much in your microwave, set a small dish of water in one of the back corners to add humidity.

References

• ProFlowers; How to Dry Flowers; Samantha Green
• Florage: Drying Flowers