The language of flowers is complex and a single flower can take on multiple meanings, although most are connected to beauty. Even the most vibrant, beautiful flowers unfortunately have to perish at some point once severed from the main shrub. Luckily, one may keep flowers without worrying about wilting if one dries them.
There are a great many reasons for drying blooms. Receiving Valentines day flowers, mothers day flowers and birthday bouquets can spark the creation of dried flower arrangements. You may want to time your flower drying before summer, so that you can make the most of more wild blooms, as many people do.
Air drying is arguably the most elementary way to dry flowers. One has to prune the stems until they are smooth and have no leaves before putting together the flowers to be dried. The bunches should be tied together tightly with a string or rubber band, and hung upside down from the ceiling or clothesline.
One crucial point here is that you should not clump flower bundles too much, or they might take longer to dry. You have to suspend flowers with the heads pointing at the floor because this makes certain that the stalks do not get twisted. Hanging the bunches upright will result to the stems bending over and looking wilted.
The flowers need to be kept out of direct sunlight, preferably in a dark room. The buds need to be removed from photo contact as soon as possible as prolonged exposure to the sun will cause their colors to fade. Make sure to never have any dampness in the room if you want to dry flowers, or you may end up with rotten pieces.
If you do settle on the simplest method, you shall need a month or so. The drier the room where you have hung them and the drier the blooms themselves, the faster you can collect your dried flowers. A few occasional checks may be wise if you are worried about problems like rot or fungus cropping up.
Silica gel may come in useful if you are dealing with flowers that have an unusually high water content. The flattened version of preserved flowers are often made with heavy books: you can just slip the bloom between pages and press down. For several days' wait, go with silica gel; for several weeks' wait, go with press techniques.
After your flowers have been dried properly, you can start thinking of applications for them. Dried flowers are great for potpourri mixes, among other things. Some people just toss the preserved blooms into a suitable container and then put them on display.
Of course, as is true of all ornaments, these blooms may eventually collect dust. Dust your preserved blooms regularly to keep them looking great. If you have a mouse problem at home and are concerned about the rodents destroying your flowers, use mothballs to keep them away.
The art of drying makes it possible to enjoy the colors and vibe of summer and spring all year round. There is not a lot of work involved in drying flowers, but it pays off very well. Those receiving a lot of valuable flower presents usually dry them in order to be able to keep them for a longer time.
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