Preserving Late Summer Flowers

Flowers that bloom in the summer are gorgeous – it is no wonder that people choose to save these flowers as long as they can by pressing and drying them. There are many methods to preserving flowers and each can be tailored to your style. Experiment with some of these preserving methods and find the method that works best for you.

* The simplest way to preserve flowers is to air dry them. Flowers can be air dried virtually any place where there is low humidity. You might consider using your attic, a pantry or even your closet.

To air dry flowers, tie them in small, loose bunches to avoid crowding and hang them upside down in a low-humidity place. In this fashion, drying the flowers can take up to two weeks depending upon the humidity level. Flowers can also be dried laying flat or standing upright in a vase or other container. Be careful with upright flowers, though, as they tend to lose their shape easily.

* Pressing flowers is another way to preserve them. To press flowers, all you need is some paper and a heavy object. The only downside to pressing the flowers is that they will lose shape as they are pressed flat. To press your flowers, place them between sheets of paper such as newspaper or old pages from a book. You can layer the papers on top of each other and then place a heavy object on top of the papers to press the flowers.

This method will usually take between two and four weeks to allow your flowers to be completely dry. It does not matter what kind of paper you use as long as it is not glazed. Glazed paper, such as wax and parchment, will not absorb the moisture and may make for moldy flowers.

* Flowers can also be dried in a flower-drying solution. Silica is a great way to dry flowers without much work. Place silica in a container and arrange flowers in the container. Silica should be covering the flowers and the drying process will be done within the week, depending upon how many flowers you have in one container.

Brightly-colored flowers tend to be the best preserved. Deep colors will fade slightly while white flowers will turn a slight tan or off-white color. Almost all flowers can be preserved and there are many ways to preserve them. Preserving your flowers is a great way to ensure that you have color in your house through the winter months.