The Art of Preserving Flowers Forever
Receiving a gift of flowers can be an exciting experience, one that you will want to always remember. We have already provided you the steps to help your bouquet or arrangement last for a few days stay fresh in water, but did you know that there is another way to keep those beautiful blooms around even longer? Many people preserve flowers for a variety of reasons, be it the rose from your first date or a bunch of wildflowers for scrapbooking. Below are the three easiest methods for getting the most out of your floral arrangement.
Drying Flowers
There are two generally accepted methods of preserving flowers by drying them. The first method is break down your bouquet or arrangement into small bunches, usually two to four flowers in each one. Tie each bunch together, and hang the flowers in front of the screen in an opened window. Let the air crossing through that screen circulate through the bundles for about a week, and at the end of the week, take them down and separate the individual flowers. Any blooms that you find that have not completely dried can be retied and placed in the window for another day or so.
Alternatively, you can take small pans and lay the flowers out in a single layer in each one. Try to not overlap them too much, and simply lay them out in the fresh air and sunshine outside. This will work just as well as tying them in the window, but you will need to check on them every few days to make sure that they are drying well and that you have not lost any due to the winds, rain, or birds. Once all of the flowers have been dried sufficiently, you can use them to create permanent arrangements in a vase or shadowbox.
Pressing Flowers
Do you remember saving a special flower from an old boyfriend or prom date? That was done by simply placing that flower between the pages of a heavy book and leaving it closed for a few weeks. For this traditional method, it also helps if you put the flowers between sheets of either waxed paper or parchment paper to protect the pages while the flowers are being pressed.
Another way to press flowers is with a special device designed for just that purpose. These have grown in popularity since the hobby of scrapbooking caught on, and you can find them in most stationery shops or craft stores. They work in the same way as the old heavy book treatment, but will take a lot less time to get the perfect press.
After all of your flowers have been treated, a great way to display them is in a scrapbook, or by creating a mosaic style piece of art. To do a wall display, simply glue the blooms onto cut sheets of poster board, add paint or glitter and slip it into a picture frame for a one-of-a-kind art piece.
Potpourri
Lastly, a great way to keep a floral gift you have received around forever is to turn the flowers into potpourri. Not only will you have their scent and blooms preserved to remind you of that special gift or event, but you can also create a gift to share with the person who gave you the flowers in the first place!
To make potpourri, take the flowers that you have dried or pressed, and place them into a bowl. Gently add spices and herbs, as well as scented essential oils that will simulate the fragrances of the original flowers. You will want to mix it altogether carefully, so that you do not damage any of the blooms. Once it is all mixed, you can fill jars, small bottles and bags that can be sealed to preserve the scents. When you are ready to give them as gifts, decorate the jars with a raffia bow or burlap wrap to give a home-style DIY feel sure to delight anyone.