By Whether you want to hold on to a bouquet from a special occasion, use dried petals for crafts and stationery or keep blooms from holidays or anniversaries, there are various ways to ensure your flowers stay vibrant for years. Preserved flowers make for beautiful mementos and you can either keep them for yourself or give gifts to loved ones. To ensure your blossoms stay as beautiful as ever, we turned to the plant pros Here, we break down how to preserve flowers, which social media hacks are worth trying and helpful tips to streamline the process.
Which flowers are the easiest to preserve?
Before saving your blooms, it’s important to recognize which ones will last the longest. “Roses, specifically, have strong, sturdy stems and thicker petals that allow them to dry more easily than other flowers, says Alfred Palomares, vice president of merchandising at 1-800-Flowers. “They hold their shape, especially when you hang them upside down to air dry.”
Other flowers that are easy to work with include carnations, hydrangeas, anemones and ranunculus. Palomares also cautions against preserving certain flowers. “Flowers that have a high-water content such as lilies, tulips and tropical flowers like Birds of Paradise don’t tend to dry well or maintain their shape due to the large amount of moisture in the flower.”
How to preserve flowers
There are various ways to preserve your flowers, from air drying and pressing to using everyday household items or unexpected tools. These include:
Air drying
This is the most popular method of preserving flowers because it’s so easy! Before your bouquet begins wilting, remove the stems from their vase and gently press out any moisture with a paper towel. Palomares says you want to remove expired leaves or petals, cut the stems, leave several inches intact, and gather them with a rubber band.
After that, you can hang the bouquet upside down in a cool, dark closet, hallway, or other area away from direct sunlight. He suggests letting them dry for three to four weeks. “Once your flowers have dried, use a clear finishing spray (available at most craft stores) to set the blooms in place,” he says.
Pressing
@whatsguchi Replying to @random_person1289 how to press flowers
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Another beloved method is pressing flowers. “Pressing is excellent for decorative uses but alters the petal shape and will take up to two weeks,” says Asta Foufas, product and technical director at Arena Flowers.
You can press flowers in several different ways, but it’s key to make sure the petals are dry first. Once dry, “Use clean paper or tissue in a heavy book and add something heavy on top. Check frequently and change paper/tissue if it gets damp,” says Foufas.
Want an even quicker hack? Try using the microwave. This is a great method for beginners and only takes a few minutes per flower. However, Foufas says not to microwave too many petals at once and not to increase the power settings, as this can make your flowers inconsistent.
Wax dips
If you want your flowers to look more elevated, Palomares suggests dipping them in wax. He notes that paraffin wax is the most common, although soy wax is becoming increasingly popular as a more readily available and eco-friendly alternative.
“If you plan to use this method, the best time to dip your flowers in wax is at the peak of their natural life—after you have enjoyed your beautiful bouquet for a week—when the flowers are in full bloom,” says Palomares.
Social media dos and don’ts for preserving flowers
Plenty of people turn to social media, especially TikTok, for unique ways to preserve flowers. While some are worth trying, others can actually damage the flowers’ shelf life. Here, social media dos and don’ts:
Dos
One of the most popular TikTok hacks is preserving flowers with silica gel because it offers quality and efficiency. Don’t panic if you don’t have it on hand, as Foufas shares easy alternatives.
@ncky0020 How I preserved flower using silica gel
#silicagel #preservingflowers #preservedflowers
- Silica gel alternatives: Using cornstarch or sand instead of silica gel to dry and preserve flowers can work. “Sand is a natural, eco-friendly method for preserving flowers, best for sunflowers or roses,” says Foufas.
- Nail polish: Nail polish can actually be effective when used sparingly. “Dipping just the edges of flower petals in clear nail polish can help protect them from breakage,” she says.
Don’ts
Foufas explains that some techniques, while popular online, might not be ideal for preserving petals.
- Freezing petals: “Freezing is not ideal for long-term preservation; it is a temporary solution,” says Foufas. “You’ll have to handle them carefully, as frozen petals are very fragile.”
- Using Hairspray: Foufas is quick to say that using hairspray on flower petals is only temporary. It can also cause the flowers to become brittle or sticky over time, which isn’t good for the long term. “If you must use it, only use a very light, single coat, and make sure it is unscented and does not have color or glitter,” she says.
