Learn how to quickly dry flowers DIY and keep them for long periods. Keepsake flowers don’t have to be bought; you can DIY at home using readily available materials. There are many reasons why people want to dry flowers. For the majority of the people, it is because they are one of the ways of keeping the memories. Memorable events have flowers that you can dry such as prom corsages, wedding day centerpieces and bridal bouquet, and funeral flowers.
Another great thing about drying flowers is that you can use them to make DIY arrangements for decorating your home. You can make dried flower boxes, hanging flowers, and vase arrangements.
How To Quickly Dry Flowers DIY
How to Dry Flowers by Hanging
Air drying flowers is one of the common methods. Not only is it easy but it also requires minimal materials.
Materials
- Flowers
- Hanger
- Clippers
- String
Method
Separate the flowers by stems and take any extra leaves off the stems. You can also trim any extra-long stems and make them short. Group the flowers into small groups of about two to three stems. The smaller the bunch the faster they will dry. Tie the flowers near the base with a string.
When cutting the string make sure it’s long enough to tie around the flowers and also tie around the hanger. Tie the string to the hanger securely. If you don’t have a hanger you can also use a stick, poles, or hooks.
Hang the flowers in a location that is dark or that gets minimal light. If you hang them indirect light, they will lose the color and fade.
It’s also important to hang the flowers away from traffic either human or pet traffic. This will reduce the chances of the flowers getting damaged.
Leave the flowers alone and they should be dry in 3 to 4 weeks depending on the thickness of the blooms and stems.
Drying Flowers In Silica Sand
If you have the patience and the time you can dry your flowers using silica sand. Drying flowers in silica sand is a great method because it preserves the color.
Materials
- Silica sand
- Flowers
- Container
Method
The process is very simple, just place the flowers in the container and cover them with the silica sand. If you want to dry long stems make sure that you use a large container and enough sand to cover everything.
Some flower types dry faster compared to others. The period can vary from two days for flowers such as aster, pansy, ferns, cosmos, and foxglove to seven days for flowers like ivy leaves, hyacinth, peonies, and begonia.
Drying Flowers In A Microwave
Drying flowers in a microwave is a great option for people who want to dry the flowers fast.
Materials:
- Microwave
- Flowers
- Silica Sand
- Cup of Water
- Microwave-safe container
Flower Drying Process
The disadvantage of using the microwave and a container is that you will not be able to dry long stems. You have to cut the stems short and also remove the leaves.
Fill the container with a layer of silica sand and then put the bloom in the container and cover it with silica sand. If you have cut the flowers into small pieces, you can put a few inside the same container and you don’t have to dry each separately. As long as they are completely covered with sand, they will be fine.
Place the cup water inside the microwave, as well as the container. Heat the flowers for 30 seconds and check if it’s dry. F not repeat the heating process for 30seconds and check again. For most flowers, they will be dry within 2 to 3 minutes.
Leave the flower buried in the sand for about 24 hours just to be sure that it’s completely dry. Remove the flower, and gently brush off any grains of silica sand from the petals.
Conclusion
You can also use unscented hair spray to keep the dry flowers looking radiant. When making arrangements with your dry flowers, avoid placing them in direct sunlight to prevent the colors from fading.
These are some of the ways you can dry flowers. However, you can also dry flowers using a flower press or a book.
Dried flowers can be used to make many types of flower arrangements including flower wreaths, vase arrangements, botanical frames, wall décor, and hanging flowers.
Check this post on how to make simple flower arrangements.
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