How to dry roses at home while maintaining color and shape?

If you dry a rose correctly, you can extend the life of a gifted bouquet or flowers growing in the garden. Dry roses can become an original interior decoration, while the petals are used in cooking and cosmetology. Depending on the purpose, choose one of the available drying methods.

It is important to remember that dried flowers are afraid of dampness and for preservation they need to be provided with suitable conditions.

Which roses are suitable for drying?

You should not try to dry a bouquet that has already been in a vase for some time. The wilting process began as soon as the flowers were cut. Even if roses stand in water, the petals gradually lose turgor.

It is best to cut the flowers yourself, since it is unknown how long the bouquet could have been in the store.

• Cutting is carried out in dry weather.
• Rose varieties with dense petals are best suited for drying.
• It is worth selecting those flowers whose buds have just begun to open. If you dry a fully bloomed flower, the bud will fall apart after drying.

Methods for drying flowers

In order to capture the beauty of a flower, several drying methods are used.

Hanging

Drying roses using this method is necessary in a dark, ventilated area. This could be a storage room, attic, or ventilated basement. Flowers are hung on a rope with their buds down so that they do not touch each other. It is better to tear off the lower leaves.

It is very important to maintain the necessary microclimate in the room (under the influence of moisture and sunlight, the petals will fade, begin to curl and crumble). In fact, you don’t need to do anything else - just wait for the roses to dry.

The drying process should last 8–10 days.

Classic way

Using this method at home, roses are dried for herbarium:

1. Flowers are placed between the pages of thick books, first placed in a newsprint envelope, so as not to spoil the publication dear to the heart.
2. A weight of suitable size is placed on top (another massive book can be used as a press).
3. After 1.5–2 weeks, the dried flower is taken out. It will have a flat shape.

The method is also well suited for drying individual rose petals. In this case, it will take less time - only 5-6 days.

Sand drying

This method is quite labor-intensive, but has its advantages. After such drying, the buds retain their rich color and original volume:

1. First you need to prepare the river sand: wash it, dry it thoroughly and sift it.
2. To dry roses this way, you will need a deep cardboard box. A layer of sand 5–7 centimeters thick is poured onto its bottom.
3. Then flower stems are stuck into the sand cushion, placing the plants strictly vertically.
4. After this, the box is completely filled with sand, pouring it carefully, in small portions, until the buds are completely hidden.
5. The container is closed with a lid and stored in an upright position for about 3 weeks (17–20 days) in a dry place.
6. After drying is complete, small holes are made in the bottom of the box through which the sand will slowly pour out.

After such drying, the roses will remain as similar as possible to real flowers.

What can be made from dried roses and petals?

If the roses were dried entirely for further interior decoration, it is recommended to apply hairspray on them before composing the composition. This will give dry flowers strength and help preserve the color of the petals. Then the roses are carefully collected into a bouquet and placed in a vase without water. A similar decorative element can decorate a living room, veranda, or shady corner of the garden. A dry bouquet will definitely not fly around or wither after a few days.

Rose topiary looks beautiful - an artificial decorative tree. It is made using the following technology:

1. Wrap a thick wire with green or brown tape, simulating a trunk.
2. A special topiary ball is attached to the end of the stem.
3. The frame is covered with rosebuds on top. For convenience, it is better to use a glue gun.
4. You can randomly place several dried leaves on the stem.
5. The collected tree is placed in a small decorative pot and filled with alabaster, not reaching a few centimeters to the edge.
6. After the material has hardened, a layer of decorative pebbles or glass beads is placed flush with the surface of the pot.

The finished topiary is placed in any suitable place.

You can make a composition from dried buds, beautifully arranging them in a flat vase and placing them on a coffee table or bar counter.

A more durable decor is obtained if you fill a beautifully shaped transparent bottle with inflorescences, fill it with glycerin and seal it. This composition is not afraid of humidity, so it can also be placed in the bathroom.

Roses are certainly good fresh. They delight the eye with exquisite beauty and fill the house with a subtle aroma. But even in dried form, these flowers can be beneficial and bring pleasure. The main thing is not to spoil the buds by improper drying. Dry petals are used for room decoration and in cooking; cosmetics are prepared on their basis, helping to maintain the youth and beauty of the skin.