Flowers are symbolic of beauty and inspiration to many. It is a pity that the life of most flowers is short, as they normally wilt and die shortly after they have fully blossomed. Luckily, one may keep flowers without worrying about wilting if one dries them.
One can think of many occasions for drying flowers. Special occasions such as Valentine's Day usually prompt persons to start drying blooms because of the number of flowers that are given out and received. You may want to time your flower drying before summer, so that you can make the most of more wild blooms, as many people do.
Experts say the most basic dried flowers are made by the air-dry method. First, remove unwanted leaves from the stems before clustering them into small bunches. Upside-down is the best way to go when hanging air-dry flowers, and you may secure them with whatever you think best, from a piece of line to a simple bit of rope.
You want the air to work as much surface area on the flowers as possible, so do not cram them all together. Keeping the stems in an upside-down position ensures that the stems remain straight. Hanging the bunches upright will result to the stems bending over and looking wilted.
The flowers need to be kept out of direct sunlight, preferably in a dark room. Sunlight is the enemy of dried flowers because it fades their petals. Make sure to never have any dampness in the room if you want to dry flowers, or you may end up with rotten pieces.
If you do settle on the simplest method, you shall need a month or so. How long to wait before harvest depends on various factors, from the type of flower to the dryness of the area. Most people just check on the flowers after the specified couple of weeks, though experts insist on taking a look at them every day or so to check against rot.
Blooms with a higher moisture content dry better with the use of a drying agent such as silica gel, which can be readily bought in craft stores. Another way of preservation is by pressing, placing buds in between pages of a newspaper or book. Most people prefer to do it the fast way, so desiccants are popular options: for those who do not mind waiting, pressing may be a viable alternative.
After your flowers have been dried properly, you can start thinking of applications for them. Just because a flower has been dried does not mean it can no longer be used in a floral arrangement, as many arrangements actually use them. If you want a simple use for them, just get a vase, put the flowers in it, then put the vase wherever you want.
It is entirely normal to find dust on preserved blooms later on. This can be easily solved by dusting them off. If you are worried about unwanted "houseguests" damaging the flowers, put a mothball or two near them.
The most beautiful blooms may be kept much longer if they are dried, so you can still enjoy them out of season. Turning flowers into dried ornaments gives them longevity as well as versatility. Those receiving a lot of valuable flower presents usually dry them in order to be able to keep them for a longer time.
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