Preserving Roses
Cutting and preparing for drying
Cut roses when blooms are buds and/or in their prime after the dew has dried off (usually in the afternoon).
Methods of Drying
Air Drying by hanging: Gather long-stemmed roses (4-6), wrap arubber band around the stems and hang upside down in a warm, dry, dark and well-ventilated place for 1 to 2 weeks with space between blooms.
Electric Dehydrator: Commercial food dehydrators set at the lowerst temperature of 95 to 100 degrees dries roses very well. Place as many fresh roses on racks without touching. Run for 8 to 24 hours depending on bloom size. Blooms will shrink about 50% and color will change more than silica gel, but vivid colors and no silica gel dust to remove are the advantages.
Drying with Desiccants:
* Just Silica Gel: Silica gel is not toxic, but avoid inhaling it because it can irritate your sinuses. Colors that come out close to the original when dried in silica are white, light pink, yellow, lavender, and blue (non-roses). Darker colors, such as red, deep pink, and orange, tend to turn out even darker. Choose a container that is at least 1-2 inches larger in diameter than the roses or other flowers you are drying. Start by pouring a 1" layer of silica on the bottom of the container. Place your blooms face up on this bed, filling the container, starting with the spaces between the blooms. Do not pour silica directly on the blooms. As you fill the spaces, the silica will hold and support the shape of the blooms. As you fill the spaces, the silica will eventually spill into the spaces between the petals. Cover the final layer of blooms with 1-2 inches of silica gel. The rose stems should be about 1 inch long. Roses dry in 7-10 days.
* Sand (1 cup) with borax (2 cups) or cornmeal (2 cups) or silica gel (2 cups)
* Borax (1 cup with 1 cup cornmeal) takes about 2-8 days. Watch out for bugs that eat the cornmeal.
Drying With The Microwave
* Microwave only: Arrange thin blossoms loosely between paper towels. Dry for a minute or two, then cool. Dry only a few flowers at a time. Roses may lose too much color and become too brittle and hard to handle. Always put a little cup of water in the microwave when drying roses.
* Microwave and silica gel: Containers that have been used in the microwave with silica gel should not be used later for food preparation. Make sure the silica gel is dry and bright blue (250 degrees in oven or one minute in microwave on high). Select a non-metal container large enough. Follow number 1. Microwave for one minute. Cool for 30 minutes. Check to see if rose is dry. If not, return for one more minute. Use a small, soft brush to remove the silica gel when cool.
* Drying leaves in a microwave: Open a folded paper napkin once so it will have two thicknesses. Put a few small leaves or one large leaf on 1/2 of the paper napkin and fold the other half over. Place a microwaveable mug or small plate on top of the napkin and leaf "sandwich" to prevent curling. Dry on high a minute at a time. Remove from microwave and let stand to cool for 20 minutes.
* (Cleaning the microwave: On your highest setting, bring a cup of water with a dash of lemon juice to a boil. Change the temperature setting to "low" and boil for 3 minutes. Thoroughly dry the inside of the microwave and its door. Your oven will be shining clean and the kitchen will smell fresh!)
Supplies and Tools
Glues, clippers, toothpicks, floral foam, styrofoam, glue gun, sprays to seal and preserve roses (plastic, acrylic, lacquer), floral tape and wire, boxes and tins, cans (tuna & sardine), baskets, boards, wooden spoons, containers and vases - Use these for arrangements.
Wires for stems
Cut a wire and push it through the base of the flower or rose (calyx). Floral tape the whole false stem. Wiring enables the stems to bend, and also lengthens a stem.
Sealing dried roses
Covering roses with a clear plastic spray, acrylic or lacquer will preserve their colors, make them more durable and moisture-resistant. Some sealers may be brushed on the blooms. Even a thin coat of melted paraffin wax at a cooler temperature will protect the blooms (dipped or painted on the petals).
Projects for Dried roses
Arrangements, decorations, pictures, hand-held or pin-on corages or bouquets, wall hanging, jewelry and ornaments, topiary trees.
Storage of dried roses
Place them in sealed, tight containers such as cookie tins or tupperware is best. Add a small amount of silica gel if storing them in plastic bags.
Good Roses for Drying
Dark Red: Christian Dior, Dolly Parton, Candy Apple, Old Smoothie, Olympiad, Mountie, Royal Canadian, Acey Deucy, Old Glory, Don Juan, Mercedes, Beauty Secret, Red Minimo, Black Jade.
Pink: Prima Donna, Century Two, Electron, Perfume Delight, Lancome, MIss All American Beauty, Pink Peace, High Jinks, Winsome (mauve) Dainty Bess buds, Queen Elizabeth, Dicky, Heidi, Tiffany, Simplicity buds, Dick Koster, Bewitched
Orange: Fragrant Cloud, Prominent, Marina, Impatient, Bing Crosby, Tropicana, Ole, Carrot Top, Starina, Holy Toledo, Little Jackie, Joycie, Julie Ann, Trumpeter, Apricot Nectar, Brandy, Margo Koster, New Year, Las Vegas, Orange Sunblaze
All medium and deep yellows
Blends: Touch of Class, Sheer Elegance, Milestone, Color Magic, Cary Grant, Mon Cheri, Kristin, Child's Play, Apricot Mist, Helen Boehm, Whoopi, Debut, Double Delight, Paradise, Sea Pearl, Purple Tiger, French Perfume, Monet, Desert Peace, Nicole, Redgold, Jean Kenneally, Millie Walters, Pinstripe, Ring of Fire, Roller Coaster, Stars 'n' Stripes
Cut roses when blooms are buds and/or in their prime after the dew has dried off (usually in the afternoon).
Methods of Drying
Air Drying by hanging: Gather long-stemmed roses (4-6), wrap arubber band around the stems and hang upside down in a warm, dry, dark and well-ventilated place for 1 to 2 weeks with space between blooms.
Electric Dehydrator: Commercial food dehydrators set at the lowerst temperature of 95 to 100 degrees dries roses very well. Place as many fresh roses on racks without touching. Run for 8 to 24 hours depending on bloom size. Blooms will shrink about 50% and color will change more than silica gel, but vivid colors and no silica gel dust to remove are the advantages.
Drying with Desiccants:
* Just Silica Gel: Silica gel is not toxic, but avoid inhaling it because it can irritate your sinuses. Colors that come out close to the original when dried in silica are white, light pink, yellow, lavender, and blue (non-roses). Darker colors, such as red, deep pink, and orange, tend to turn out even darker. Choose a container that is at least 1-2 inches larger in diameter than the roses or other flowers you are drying. Start by pouring a 1" layer of silica on the bottom of the container. Place your blooms face up on this bed, filling the container, starting with the spaces between the blooms. Do not pour silica directly on the blooms. As you fill the spaces, the silica will hold and support the shape of the blooms. As you fill the spaces, the silica will eventually spill into the spaces between the petals. Cover the final layer of blooms with 1-2 inches of silica gel. The rose stems should be about 1 inch long. Roses dry in 7-10 days.
* Sand (1 cup) with borax (2 cups) or cornmeal (2 cups) or silica gel (2 cups)
* Borax (1 cup with 1 cup cornmeal) takes about 2-8 days. Watch out for bugs that eat the cornmeal.
Drying With The Microwave
* Microwave only: Arrange thin blossoms loosely between paper towels. Dry for a minute or two, then cool. Dry only a few flowers at a time. Roses may lose too much color and become too brittle and hard to handle. Always put a little cup of water in the microwave when drying roses.
* Microwave and silica gel: Containers that have been used in the microwave with silica gel should not be used later for food preparation. Make sure the silica gel is dry and bright blue (250 degrees in oven or one minute in microwave on high). Select a non-metal container large enough. Follow number 1. Microwave for one minute. Cool for 30 minutes. Check to see if rose is dry. If not, return for one more minute. Use a small, soft brush to remove the silica gel when cool.
* Drying leaves in a microwave: Open a folded paper napkin once so it will have two thicknesses. Put a few small leaves or one large leaf on 1/2 of the paper napkin and fold the other half over. Place a microwaveable mug or small plate on top of the napkin and leaf "sandwich" to prevent curling. Dry on high a minute at a time. Remove from microwave and let stand to cool for 20 minutes.
* (Cleaning the microwave: On your highest setting, bring a cup of water with a dash of lemon juice to a boil. Change the temperature setting to "low" and boil for 3 minutes. Thoroughly dry the inside of the microwave and its door. Your oven will be shining clean and the kitchen will smell fresh!)
Supplies and Tools
Glues, clippers, toothpicks, floral foam, styrofoam, glue gun, sprays to seal and preserve roses (plastic, acrylic, lacquer), floral tape and wire, boxes and tins, cans (tuna & sardine), baskets, boards, wooden spoons, containers and vases - Use these for arrangements.
Wires for stems
Cut a wire and push it through the base of the flower or rose (calyx). Floral tape the whole false stem. Wiring enables the stems to bend, and also lengthens a stem.
Sealing dried roses
Covering roses with a clear plastic spray, acrylic or lacquer will preserve their colors, make them more durable and moisture-resistant. Some sealers may be brushed on the blooms. Even a thin coat of melted paraffin wax at a cooler temperature will protect the blooms (dipped or painted on the petals).
Projects for Dried roses
Arrangements, decorations, pictures, hand-held or pin-on corages or bouquets, wall hanging, jewelry and ornaments, topiary trees.
Storage of dried roses
Place them in sealed, tight containers such as cookie tins or tupperware is best. Add a small amount of silica gel if storing them in plastic bags.
Good Roses for Drying
Dark Red: Christian Dior, Dolly Parton, Candy Apple, Old Smoothie, Olympiad, Mountie, Royal Canadian, Acey Deucy, Old Glory, Don Juan, Mercedes, Beauty Secret, Red Minimo, Black Jade.
Pink: Prima Donna, Century Two, Electron, Perfume Delight, Lancome, MIss All American Beauty, Pink Peace, High Jinks, Winsome (mauve) Dainty Bess buds, Queen Elizabeth, Dicky, Heidi, Tiffany, Simplicity buds, Dick Koster, Bewitched
Orange: Fragrant Cloud, Prominent, Marina, Impatient, Bing Crosby, Tropicana, Ole, Carrot Top, Starina, Holy Toledo, Little Jackie, Joycie, Julie Ann, Trumpeter, Apricot Nectar, Brandy, Margo Koster, New Year, Las Vegas, Orange Sunblaze
All medium and deep yellows
Blends: Touch of Class, Sheer Elegance, Milestone, Color Magic, Cary Grant, Mon Cheri, Kristin, Child's Play, Apricot Mist, Helen Boehm, Whoopi, Debut, Double Delight, Paradise, Sea Pearl, Purple Tiger, French Perfume, Monet, Desert Peace, Nicole, Redgold, Jean Kenneally, Millie Walters, Pinstripe, Ring of Fire, Roller Coaster, Stars 'n' Stripes
