DRYING FLOWERS

The flowers you decide to dry can vary as you experiment to see which dries the best. Roses dry nicely, but often a darker shade of red or brown. Many of the common annuals like zinnias and marigolds are readily dried. Look for transplants of everlasting flowers. These are the ones most often used in dried-flower crafting. They almost dry themselves, they're so easy.

Flowers fade and become brittle after a period of months, so dried flowers don't last forever. But you can help take steps to prevent speedy deterioration by taking care of the flower before you dry it.

Often, a flowers dried state depends on the length of the period between when a flower was picked and when it the drying process was begun. Try different stages of a flower's "after-picked-life" to see which dries the best consistently. Keep in mind that fully bloomed flowers are more likely to fall apart than ones just past the bud stage. Also, the time of day affects a flower's drying success, since many flowers go through changes throughout the day, such as opening and closing their petals according to light and moisture.

Air drying is the simplest way to preserve everlasting's, and other garden flowers, including statice, strawflower, gomphrena, amaranthus, celosia, salvia, helipterum, lavender, baby's-breath, Bells-of-Ireland, cornflower, Russian sage, and safflower. This method will also work well for many field flowers, such as goldenrod, yarrow, daisy, fleabane, and Queen-Anne's Lare.

Pick blooms when they're fully open at midday, after the morning dew has dried. Strip off any leaves and gather the stems into bunches securing them at the bottom with elastic bands, twist ties, or whatever. Hang the bunches upside down in a dark, dry, ventilated area such as an attic, basement, shed, or garage, for two to three weeks.

Silica gel, a sand-like drying compound, is used for flowers that wither and lose color when air dried. Flowers such as daisy, dahlia, delphinium, marigold, rose, peony, and zinnia will do this. Insert the shortened stems into a 1-inch deep layer of the granules in an airtight container (avoid overlapping flowers.)

Sprinkle more gel on top of the flowers until they are covered to a depth of 1 inch. Cover tightly and label with the date and name.

Drying time depends on the species, and bloom size, but check the flowers every three or four days. When petals feel papery, brush away the granules, removing blooms carefully. You can store the reusable silica gel in a tightly sealed container.

Never store flowers preserved by a different means in the same box.

To prevent crushing, loosely bunches so that the individual blossoms do not touch each other. Separate with tissue paper. Keep them in a dry area.

Another method of drying flowers is the microwave method. Drying time will depend on the flower, but two minutes on high is a good starting point.

When using this method, wrap the flowers in paper towels and place a small bowl of water inside the microwave with them.

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