Preserving Flowers with Desiccants

This method is suitable for most flowers and foliages, except for very fleshy things such as succulents. Flowers preserved in this way will retain their shape and bright colours for a very long time, as long as they are kept airtight, and out of direct sunlight. There are several types of desiccant available for drying flowers and foliage. These include silica gel (not really a gel – it is fine crystals), silver sand, borax and cat litter (yes, really, but not very effective for delicate flowers!). Whichever type you use, the method is the same. Silica gel is the most expensive, but is also the quickest and most effective, and in my opinion, worth the extra money. It often comes with a built-in colour indicator, usually blue, and this turns to pink as the gel absorbs water. Once this happens, it means the gel must be dried out in order to work properly. You can put the silica gel into an old baking tray and pop it in the oven on a low heat until it dries out and turns blue again.

I will describe the method for silica gel, but it is roughly the same for all the different materials mentioned above. Pick the flowers and foliage which you want to dry. If you intend to make them into a picture, then cut off the stem completely at this stage. However, if you want to make an actual arrangement out of them, then leave about ½” of stem attached. (You could leave a longer stem than this, but then you would need a much deeper container, and more desiccant, which would work out very expensive.) At this stage it would be a good idea to add an artificial stem of florists’ stub wire. If the stem is thick enough, push the wire up through the stem, and into the head of the flower, making sure it doesn’t pop out of the top of the flower, if the stem if very thin, then push the wire into the head of the flower next to the stem. This wire will provide an anchor for you to lengthen the stem after the flowers have dried. (Just a word of caution here, which I will repeat later on – NEVER use wire stems if you are drying flowers in the microwave!!) if you don’t add the wire before drying, it is very difficult to add it afterwards, as the flowers are very delicate and brittle.

Next, find a container with a lid which is about 6″ deeper than your flowers or foliage, and big enough to accommodate the number of flowers you want to dry. Fill it with about 1″ of silica gel, and place your flowers stem side down on the surface of the gel. Push the stems into the gel until the head touches the surface. Then, using a small spoon, start to add the gel all around and over the flowers, making sure you have added it between the petals so that there are no air gaps. Continue to add the gel until you have covered all the flowers with about a 1″ layer. Most flowers and foliage will be dry in one or two days, depending on the thickness. Check by carefully uncovering a flower, and if it feels dry and papery, then it is ready. Carefully tip out the flowers, and shake out any excess gel. You can use a small paintbrush to remove any which remains. Add a false stem to the flower using a long stub wire attached to the stem with florists’ stem tape (this used to be called gutta-percha, but is now made of plastic!) If you wish to store the flowers before arranging them, then they must be put into an airtight container with a little silica gel (one of those sachets you get in new handbags and electrical goods is ok for this). Once the flowers have been arranged, the arrangement should be placed in an airtight container, such as a sealed glass dome, as the flowers will begin to absorb moisture from the air again and go limp (not a pretty sight!).