How to Dry Flowers and Herbs

Flowers are so beautiful and we all wish they could last forever! My Mom knew this and early in my married life, she gave me several great books on flower drying, that have held me in good stead since.

Here are some ways you can keep and preserve your special flowers

Air Dry: This method allows the flowers to dry naturally, but they do lose some color and shape. This method has been around since the Middle Ages! Tie flowers in bunches and hang flowers upside down and let them dry for about a week. If you are drying an entire bunch, make a dust bonnet out of a piece of paper and wrap it like a cone around the stems(with the large end of the cone pointing towards the flowers). Once dry, these flowers should be sprayed with shatter-proof spray which stops the flowers from disintegrating. You can find these sprays at craft stores. Be aware this method does not work for easily shattered flowers, such as pussy-willows, etc.This method is the preferred one for herbs.

Pressing: Flowers can be pressed between sheets of paper and left for about a week. An old-fashioned way is to press them between the pages of the phone book. These will lose color and shape, but are perfect for flat crafts, such as window hangers or stain glass windows or sun-catchers, bookmarks or homemade paper. The most successful method is to use a wood flower press.

Microwave: There are several excellent books and they document the types of flowers and the drying times and preferred methods for each.

Silica Gel: In the early 1600's, fresh flowers were dried between layers of sand. Although the sand method is still used today, a more successful method is to use silica gel.There are several ways to use silica gel, which is a preserving and drying medium. Silica gel is a granular substance that closely resembles sugar. Each grain of silica gel can absorb up to 40% of its own weight in moisture, and is ideal for drying flowers because the small granules can easily penetrate even the most delicate flower heads. It can be found at your craft store,drugstores, floral shops, hardware store, or if you get lucky like me, stalk your local thrift store or recycling center. People get all excited about craft ideas and projects and then dump them when they don't have time and things start to get cluttered.

Silica gel is expensive in the first output, but it is reusable so you will make your money back in the reuse. It usually comes in a cardboard container. If you are planning on doing a lot of flowers, say your entire wedding party's bouquets, you should invest in the larger container. You will also need a large plastic container with a tight fitting lid. The container should be a bit bigger than the flower you plan to dry. This is the preferred method should you wish to keep most of the shape and color of your flowers.

Soon you will be preserving all the beautiful flowers you couldn't bear to throw away!