How to dry flowers?

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Undoubtedly, summer is the best time to dry the flowers growing in your garden. By doing this, you can enjoy their beauty not only in the warm season, but also in the cold seasons. Following uncomplicated tips, you can preserve the splendor of garden flowers in the house in winter. Marigolds, zinnias, pansies, violets, hydrangeas - these are just a small part of the most popular flowers for drying. This article will tell you how to dry flowers.

See also our detailed article: Herbarium - timeless beauty.

There are several ways to dry flowers, namely:

outdoor drying;
in sand;
drying in the storm and cornmeal;
in silica gel.

Selection of plants for drying

It is best to pick flowers on a warm, dry day when the soil in the plants is not so wet. Choose new plants that bloom in the first year. If possible, do not choose flowers that have been blooming for several days, as they will most likely lose their color during drying.

Carefully inspect the plant before picking it, as it is very important to dry flowers that do not have any external damage. After drying on any plucked flower that has colorless patches or damage from insect bites, all these flaws will manifest themselves even more.

The secret of drying flowers is that you take from forty to fifty percent of the water from their composition, without damaging the shape of the flower, as well as its external structure and leaves. It should be noted that not every flower can be properly dried.

In order to cut flowers, you need sharp scissors, you can use garden ones. Then, after drying, some flowers will need a thin wire and a green decorative ribbon.

Further, more about each drying method.

Outdoor drying

Using this method, first you need to hang the bunches of flowers up stems in a fairly cool room. In this way, plants such as tumbleweed, Irish bells, cattail, as well as Chinese lanterns, muzzle, hydrangeas, immortelle, annual lunar are often dried. Herbs such as mint, thyme and sage can also be dried outdoors. In total, it will take you about two to three weeks to dry the flowers in this way.

Sand drying

This method is considered one of the most proven drying methods. Relatively inexpensive and easy to use. Many fastidious flowers, such as zinnias, brow, marigolds, lobelia, heathers can be dried using this method. Sand can be bought at any hardware store. Flowers are buried in it for a period of one to four weeks. My grandmother often uses this method and considers it simple enough, but at the same time, flowers after drying delight even more than a year.

Drying in Storm and Corn

Mix borax and corn in a 1: 1 ratio. Then the flowers are immersed in this mixture for a period of two to three weeks. For this method of drying, different varieties of flowers are suitable.

Silica gel drying

Recently, this method of drying plants has become very popular. Silica gel is a granular mixture that absorbs moisture from flower petals very quickly. The number of days varies from two to seven, depending on how many flowers you use, and on their variety.

Drying in this way, you need to remove the stem and leave only the inflorescences. After drying, they are attached to a thin wire and wrapped in green braid.

This method is used to dry roses, daisies, spurs, zinnias. But remember that you must carefully read the instructions in order not to burn flowers.

If you are drying flowers for the first time, it is easiest to start with plants that have pink, yellow, orange or white color. For starters, you can dry zinnias, marigolds, violets, as well as pansies.

In addition to the methods described above, you can also dry the flowers using dehydrators and a microwave. It is very important to read the instructions and manuals for use in order to know at what temperature and for how much time to leave flowers for drying. There is also a method of drying under the press, in which you can use ordinary books.

How nice to admire the beauty of marvelous plants at home, not only in summer but also in winter! And how many compositions can be invented using dried flowers! We will certainly be happy to hear from you useful tips and stories from our own experience - put your comments on the article.