Most of us have received a dozen beautiful roses for some occasion. And as the days go by, they just seem to wilt and fade all too quickly. Here is a very easy way to dry roses so you can preserve those special memories.
You might recall that my son loves to gift me roses for Mother’s Day. The tradition continued this year with an extraordinary collection of beautiful roses. He has done this for years and in fact, I have the first dozen he gave me dried and in a vintage silver water pitcher.
Here is a tour of this gorgeous bouquet.
As the days went on, I knew this was one bouquet I was going to preserve. Here are the steps I use – you will be amazed how easy this is.
Prepare the roses.
You don’t want to wait too long to do this. The rose will begin to droop, you may begin to lose petals (which can also be dried) and you want the stems to still have integrity without any decomposition. Take off any excess leaves that you don’t want to be in the end bouquet and any petals that you think are too far gone. This particular grouping didn’t have any excess leaves or petals – so I had little prep to do.
Select a drying rack.
I like to use my laundry rack. It provides several layers and a large space to dry the roses. I have also used hangers but the rack gives you plenty of room.
The drying process
Using a rubber band, secure two roses together. Hang over one of the rungs of the drying rack. If the rose is drooping, gently straighten the bloom into that straight line. I put a towel underneath to catch any leaves that might fall during the drying process.
And let your climate do the rest. The length of time to dry will depend on your climate. I live in an arid climate and so roses dry out quickly but generally you are looking at 1-2 weeks. When dried, the flower should be able to stand up and feel dry to touch.
Dried flowers on rack 
Dried flowers
Sealing your dried roses
To further seal and preserve your roses, spray with non-perfumed hair spray or I like to use a matt finish clear spray. You don’t need to drench the complete stem, but spray all sides of the flower. This will dry quickly and then you are ready to enjoy.
The results
Here’s the results. On the left is the live bouquet and the right is the dried. These roses dried beautifully and though they don’t have the same vibrant colors as the live roses, the dried version have a great array of colors to enjoy. I was very pleased with how these turned out.
Fresh bouquet 
Dried bouquet
Other drying and preserving methods
This is one of many ways that you can preserve your flowers and for me, this works particularly well for roses. Here are a few of the other ways you can preserve flowers. You choice of method will depend on the flower that you are wanting to dry.
Air Drying Method
We just reviewed the air drying method. Hanging bouquets upside down is the most traditional technique for drying flowers.
Another variation is to allow your bouquet to dry in the vase. Leave a little water in the base of the vase and then just allow the bouquet to dry. This method works best for baby’s breath, lavender or hydrangeas.
Silica Gel
If you want your flowers to look just like they did in your garden, try using silica gel. The sandy-like substance can be found at craft stores and works best with sturdy flowers like zinnias or roses. Bury your blooms in a large container of silica gel. In a few days to a week, gently uncover vibrant, preserved flowers. Don’t over dry them – they will become brittle.
Pressed Method
Many of us will remember doing this in grade school. While this method can be time-consuming, there’s little effort involved and the results are consistently wonderful. Take a heavy book, line a page with parchment or wax paper and arrange flowers face down so they don’t overlap. Close the book and leave untouched for seven to ten days. Once all the moisture is gone and they have a papery texture. This works great for flowers that will flatten well – daisies or violets are great suggestions.
Microwave
Take the flower you want to dry and place between two coffee filters. Then place on a plate and top with another plate. Microwave for 1 minute. Repeat until you achieve your desired result.
Whatever method you use, preserving your special flowers allows you to reflect on the beautiful memories of that time. Now ready to reflect and enjoy with a nice cup of tea.
“Dried roses are proof of the memories which are still wet in my eyes”
54 Comments
Yvette
So pretty. The photos are so inviting. I think I will try this. Thanks!
Beth
Hi Yvette – Thanks for your comment. Its super easy and fun to see the outcome. Enjoy!
Linda Egeler
I love roses and look forward to drying some this summer. I didn’t know about the unscented hairspray: Thanks for the tip!
Beth
Hi Linda – Well this particular bouquet was just gorgeous. I have used other hairspray but unscented works the best. Glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comment.
Laurie Janssen
Wow! They are beautiful & I liked seeing the before & after product. The roses outside on your table is really nice & inviting. Beautiful. L
Beth
Hi Laurie – thanks so much. I know you have dried many a flower for sure. This particular group of roses kept their color so well. Glad that you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comment.
Alexis
I wish I would have done this with my wedding bouquet. Thanks for sharing!
Beth
Hi Alexis – Yes that is generally a perfect thing to do and really super easy. My sister had heather in her wedding and had it for years – absolutely beautiful. Maybe finding a similar flower, smaller version – dry it and use for your anniversary. Glad that you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comment.
Tiffany
Beautiful! We have a new florist in town (actually has been around for 100 years but moved to our town last spring) and would love to support them. Would love to have some dried roses!
Beth
Hi Tiffany – So glad that you enjoyed the post. And to have a florist that you trust and enjoy is a great asset. This is easy to do so enjoy. Thanks for your comment.
Barbara
I wish I had known some of these ways to preserve flowers, years ago. I still have 1 lily from when I got married…..42 years ago. It was brought over from Hawaii and is paper thin now.
Still brings back alot of memories. Great tip about the hair spray. Your latest bouquet is gorgeous and love the vintage look.
Beth
Hi Barbara – Yes, this does have a nice vintage look – I was very pleased with how these dried. Congratulations on 42 years ago and sweet that you have the lily. You could frame it and it would be beautiful. Glad you enjoyed the post and thank you for your comment.
Danielle Ardizzone
These are gorgeous! The family of a childhood friend owned a flower shop growing up; I remember him doing a show-and-tell of how to prep flowers to dry them.
Beth
hi Danielle – So glad that you enjoyed the post. How sweet to have that memory of your friend. Thanks for your comment.
Douglas Jasper
Thank you. I learned a lot that I did not know.
Beth
Hi Douglas – Glad that you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comment.
Lisa Manderino
I love air drying roses. They make great potpourri too!
Beth
Hi Lisa – Yes, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it until I did this recent bouquet. Yes they do make great potpourri. Thanks for your comment.
Holly
My garden is full.. I will be trying a couple of your ways especially the microwave.. I’ve never have done this before!
Beth
Hi Holly – I bet your garden it beautiful. Love fresh flowers. Yes, please do and glad that the post was helpful. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks for you comment and have fun!
Stacey Billingsley
I’ve never tried drying roses before, and now I want to try it! They look so pretty, even when dried. I may have to get some roses just to try it.
Beth
Hi Stacey – So glad that you enjoyed the post. This method of drying is absolutely easy. And I think roses, baby’s breath, lavender – are great starters. If you dry dark red roses, they will look really dark and almost a mix of burgundy and black. These roses held to their lighter color – that’s why I put the comparison between the live and the dry. But do give it a try – even just a couple roses will give you a sense of the process. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Cathy
That’s really cool! You are blessed to get these beautiful flowers from your son. I have done this, it works well but they usually crumble after awhile, I guess I needed to spray them. Thanks
Beth
Hi Cathy – Yes the spraying does help. And certainly, after a period of time they do crumble but I have them for awhile. And yes, very blessed for these flowers from my son – I do cherish them. Glad that you enjoyed the post and thank you for your comment!
Debbie
Sweet way to preserve some special memories!
Beth
Hi Debbie – Thanks so much for your comment and glad that you enjoyed the post.
Leeandra
This is very cool and it looks really pretty!
Beth
Hi Leeandra – Thanks you so much for you comment and glad that you enjoyed the post. It was a lot of fun and pleased with how they turned out.
Michele
Love! Will have to try this.
Beth
Hi Michele – Thanks for your comment and glad that you enjoyed the post. Please do – its really easy. Have fun with this.
Barbara
Flowers are the BEST! I love the idea of keeping a beautiful bouquet much longer by drying the flowers properly and recreating the bouquet as a dried flower arrangement!
Beth
Hi Barbara – So glad that you enjoyed the post. Well I am not trained as much as self-trained in this. And the air drying method for me has been the easiest. This bouquet just begged to be dried because of its beauty and for its memories. Thanks for your comment.
Sara
I still have the roses from my wedding 16 years ago. I think I had them freeze dried. My kids always ask how it was done. We’ll have to do a little experiment with the next roses we get.
Beth
Hi Sara – How sweet that you still have your wedding roses. A precious memory for sure. Yes, please try some different flowers to dry. The roses are just perfect to start out with – just a note, when doing the darker red roses, they will dry very dark and almost a mix of burgundy and black. This bouquet had such a great mix – the other colors dried better than I expected. Glad that you enjoyed the post and thank you for your comment!
Angela
Our rose bushes are blooming mad right now. This is a beautiful was to preserve and will be fun to do with my kids.
Beth
Hi Angela – Perfect for sure and what a great idea to do with your kids. My sister has huge hydrangea bushes and has dried them int he same way before and they turn out beautiful. Will be excited to hear how it went for you. Glad that you enjoyed the post and thank you for your comment.
heather J jandrue
Great idea! We have a tradition in my family. We take the roses from the funeral of a loved one and make rosary beads out of them.
Beth
Hi Heather – What a precious memory for sure. Well doing this for special times or just because you want it for a special event or decoration is really sweet. Glad that you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comment.
Sandi
So beautiful. I didn’t know about the hairspray, great tip.
Beth
Hi Sandi – Yes actually, the old fashioned hair spray can works best but the spritz can as well. Glad that you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comment.
Marianne
Very pretty! The roses kept so much of their colour! I did the upside down air dry with my bridal bouquet… but the colours did not stay very true, unfortunately.
Beth
Hi Marianne – Yes, I agree that these roses really kept their color amazingly. Sorry that your colors did not stay the same. My experience has been if I am drying darker red roses, they dry dark burgundy and almost black. But this was such a vibrant colored bouquet, it kept much more of the color. Isn’t exactly the same but certainly is a gorgeous array. Glad that you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comment.
Alice
I love this idea!!! Once a few years ago at the Walmart where I work one of the managers went out of his way to make sure I had a rose for mother’s day. I put it in the dash of my car and it’s still there. I have changed cars a couple of times but the rose goes onto the dash every time. It’s dried out but still beautiful! It’s a nice reminder of an act of kindness.
Beth
Hi Alice – What a precious memory. And how sweet that your manager did this for you. A beautiful act of kindness. Thank you so much for sharing that story. Made me smile today. Glad that you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comment.
Suzan | It's My Sustainable Life
Great guidance on drying those beautiful blooms! I love drying mine, I simply cut the head off and place in a warm dry area & let them go. I love to use in potpourri, infusing oils, and crafts. Thank you for sharing!
Beth
Hi Suzan – Thank you for sharing how you go about drying as well. Glad that you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comment. Will have to start using some in potpourri! Thanks.
Heather
These turned out beautifully. I have been wanting to press flowers in a frame, so I would love more information on this!
Beth
Hi Heather – Thanks so much for your comment. And glad that you enjoyed the post. Pressing flowers can be just as easy. In short, you want to select flowers that will dry well and suit your project. Violets, fragile flowers like that do very well. Get some heavy books that are not high value for you, put in a white piece of paper and arrange the flowers, usually not touching. Place another piece of paper over the top of the flowers and then close the book. Place a few more books or even bricks on the top and then you wait. Like 2-3 weeks. That’s the easiest with items you likely have at home. There are flower presses you can buy and also pressing in the microwave to speed things up. Hope that helps a little. Tons of references out there on pressing flowers. Have fun!
Cindy
I love the laundry rack idea! This will work for my herbs too. Love your bouquet!
Beth
Hi Cindy – The laundry rack holds so many. I “only” had 2 dozen this time! Ha. But yes, it would be perfect for herbs. Hmmm I have a ton of Thyme I need to dry – thanks for that idea! Thanks so much for your comment and glad that you enjoyed the post.
Eva Keller
Great colors in the photos! I didn’t know there were ways to purposely dry flowers. I figured you’d just have to wait it out for them to dry on their own.
Beth
Hi Eva – Yes, many ways that I didn’t even touch on. This just happens to be one of the easiest. But waiting it out for them to dry on their own works as well. Glad that you enjoyed the post – yes, the colors for this bouquet turned out beautifully. Thanks so much for your comment.
Roselyn Franke
Great pictures and information – will be trying your air dried method on the next flowers I want to save!
Beth
Hi Roselyn – Thanks so much for your comment. Yes, please do – and let me know how they turn out. Glad that you enjoyed the post.