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”