Air Dried Flower Preservation

Q: I would like to know how I can preserve a bouquet of roses? I have tied them with string, and have them hanging upside down in my basement. is there something I can dip them into or spray on them to keep them as a dried flower arrangement?

A: First of all...bring those roses up from the basement. It's probably too damp for them to air dry properly. Tie a pretty ribbon around them and hang them on the wall in the main part of your house where you can enjoy them and the environment will probably be more conducive to drying. As far as a spray...you could use a really cheap hairspray that has lots of lacquer in it or see if you can find a product called Plastidip. It works well to keep the flowers together.

Drying Flowers to Put in a Shadow Box

Q: Can you tell me how to go about drying flowers to put in a shadow box? I'd like to do my own design work but I don't know how to dry the flowers.



A: We can dry them for you. If you'd like to send us your flowers, we'll freeze dry them and return them to you. Freeze drying is, by far, the best way to preserve flowers intact. It's a lengthy process but the results are worth the wait. I know there are some silica products on the market. From what I've heard, the results are inconsistent. Why take a chance? You could also use the old fashioned air drying method. Your flowers will shrink and the colors will change. They will also be very fragile and difficult to work with. Also, not all flowers can be air dried. Many will just shrivel up and become very unattractive.