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Preserving Flowers
It is best to pick the flowers when they are dry and never after a shower. This is because moisture can be trapped between leaves and petals thereby causing mould to develop. Flowers can be divided into small bunches and tied with an elastic band. String or wire for tying is not recommended as stems shrink as they dry and may fall out of their tie causing damage or formation into strange shapes when gone unnoticed for sometime. Most flower varieties require bunches to be hung upside down in an airy and warm place, preferably in the dark or at least in low light. Strong light bleaches out colors. Having plenty of room for air circulation between bunches will aid in the drying process and prevent mould forming. It will take about a fort night for flowers to dry. Flowers are ready when they do not give when the heads are flexed. A number of flower varieties are dried upright in water. Flowers of this variety will have dried successfully by the time they have used up the water. Preserving with the use of glycerin is more suitable for foliage although some flower varieties work with glycerin well. Preserving with desiccants is suitable for most flowers and foliage except for very fleshy things such as succulents. Flowers preserved through this method retain their shape and bright colors for a very long time as long as they are kept airtight and out of direct sunlight. Various types of desiccants available include silica gel, silver sand, borax and cat litter. Silica gel is the most expensive but is the quickest and most effective to use. The application of desiccants basically requires placing the flower’s stem side down on the surface of the gel in a container. The gel should be placed all around and over the flowers, with the use of a spoon, making sure there are no air gaps. The gel should be continuously applied until the entire flower is covered with about 1 inch layer. Pressing flowers is something that has been done by everyone as a child. Most flowers and leaves are suitable for pressing except those with bulky centers or leaves that are very fleshy. Fleshy leaves tend to just squash when placed in the press. Odd-shaped flowers may need to be cut in half and opened out before pressing. There are commercially available flower presses but a self-made press from two pieces of plywood (about 2 to 3 feet square), with four holes drilled in their corners is of better use when a lot of pressing is to be done. Microwaving flowers to dry them is also possible. It will only take minutes instead of days or weeks to complete the process. The most important thing to remember in this method is never to use metallic containers and wired flowers.
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There are many ways of preserving flowers for use in flower crafts. One of which is through air-drying. Picking the flowers at the correct stage of development is very important to the success of the drying process. Some flower varieties need to turn “papery” to the touch before drying or else they will shrivel. Other varieties need to be well-developed before drying. Helichrysums or straw flowers are an exception to this rule because they carry on developing for a while even after they have been picked. Thus, a fully developed helichrysum will open out backwards on themselves to eventually shed all the petals when dried.