Hobbies
Making Dried Flowers by Writerrighter
(Contd. from page 1...)If you tangle leaves and blooms together in the bunch they will stay in that position when dried. Hang them suspended from secure hooks in a place with air circulation. Drying time is anywhere from a few days to several weeks. You can tell they are ready when they feel quite crisp. Easy enough!
A very different process to get dried flowers involves using silica gel. It results in the flowers 5retaining spectacular color and appearing almost fresh. The silica gel (resembling rock salt) must be ground to fine granules. It can be reused countless times. This method works for flower heads. Once the flower head is totally dry you can begin. Egg cartons or small plastic flower pots are ideal as the holding area for the gel and flower head.
Tins can be used for a large quantity of flowers. The egg carton or pot must be filled 1/3 full of gel. Set in the flower head and start with the outer petals and work in. Gently spoon the gel between each petal. Do this until the head is fully covered. Cover and check on them in 2 days. Remove flower heads when dry to avoid overdrying them. Large-headed flowers sometimes take 5 days. Be extremely gentle in removing the flower. Excess gel can be removed with a fine watercolor brush. To revive the flower's color spray a bit of wax polish on it. A suitable method for drying large flowers like sunflowers and peonies is to dry them flat. Lay them on a wire garden sieve and rest it on raised objects to create a space. Again, drying time can be 2 to 5 days.