Sunday, November 15, 2009

How to dry a rose bouquet?

I have a beautiful bouquet of long stem red roses that my husband gave me for Valentines Day. So far I've kept them fresh by putting them in the fridge every night and they still look brand new. Now I want to dry them though and use them as decoration in my living room.





I know that usually you are supposed to hang them upside down in a dry, dark place to dry them, but we live in a very humid area (right now the thermometer says the humidity is at 56%).





Would hanging them upside down in a dark place still work or is there some other trick I need to know?





Oh, and FYI, I live in North Africa and we do not have arts and crafts stores here. Any tricks would have to be something simple that I can do at home without having to buy anything special.

How to dry a rose bouquet?
I have successfully dried roses with humidity at about that level. Just give it a try, and find the driest, dark place such as a closet. A gentle fan might help keep the humidity down, but don't point it at the flowers too much.
Reply:I found this answer in the first link. It also shows you how to make potpourri out of them (I'd rather have the flowers, not the potpourri). The other link teaches you how to use other methods (like microwave and silica gel). I dont recommend that since silica gel is not readily available in stores (have to go to a craft/fabric store). Hope this helps!!





For best results, we recommend that you arrange the roses in a vase with water and floral preservative, as you would with a regular arrangement. Let the roses open up until they are approximately halfway open. if you do not let them open at all, you end up with very small buds (if this is what you are looking for, proceed with the following instructions). After you have allowed the roses to partially open, remove them from the vase, tie a string around the bottom of the stems and hang the bunch upside down in a dry place. It will, depending on the humidity, take about two weeks for the roses to completely dehydrate. You will know when they are dry enough by gently squeezing the buds. If they are still soft then they are not yet dry. When the buds are quite firm, you may untie them and arrange as desired. It is possible to spray the buds with a 'hardener' (available at many craft stores), or hairspray, after they have dried. Doing this will help preserve the flowers and prevent crumbling.


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