A bouquet of roses from a loved one, a wedding or an important celebration is something many people want to keep for years. A dried rose loses its juiciness but keeps its shape and, with the right technique, its colour. Here is which roses dry best, five ways to dry a rose at home (hanging, silica gel, pressing, glycerine and microwave), how to store dried flowers and what to make from them.
The best results come from fresh roses that are not yet fully open, with a firm bud and springy petals. Dry them immediately or within a day or two of receiving them, before they start to wilt. Trim excess leaves and make sure the petals are completely dry first.
Mind the colour: red and burgundy roses darken almost to black, white ones turn cream, while pink, yellow and orange roses usually keep their colour best.
5 ways to dry a rose at home
Hanging. Tie roses in bunches of one to three and hang them upside down somewhere dark, dry and airy, like a pantry, wardrobe or attic. In one to three weeks they dry with straight stems. This is the easiest method for whole bouquets.
Silica gel. Pour a layer of silica gel (silica cat litter also works) into a container, stand the bloom in it and gently fill between the petals. Seal for three to seven days. This preserves shape and colour best. To speed things up, heat the open container in a microwave on medium for one to three minutes, then leave it for a day.
Pressing. Place petals or an open bloom between sheets of paper in a heavy book for one to two weeks to get a flat rose for a frame or herbarium. Glycerine. Mix glycerine with warm water at 1:2 and stand cut roses in it for one to two weeks; the petals stay supple like fresh ones.
Storing dried roses
Dried flowers dislike moisture, direct sun and dust. Keep them somewhere dry away from windows and lightly mist with hairspray from 30 cm to fix them. Occasionally blow off dust with a hairdryer on cool. A dried rose will then last a year or longer.
What to make from dried roses
Dried roses make dried bouquets, arrangements under glass domes, frames with pressed flowers, wreaths, sachets and fragrant pot-pourri. They can even decorate a lamp; see a DIY flower lampshade. To keep petals fresh instead, read keeping rose petals fresh.
Roses delivered in Kyiv
A bouquet worth keeping starts with fresh flowers: choose roses from our catalogue with delivery across Kyiv.
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
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