Roses are among the finest and most beautiful flowers. If you are of the same opinion, you certainly have a great interest in preserving the beauty of these flowers for as long as possible. There are many ways to preserve flowers over time, drying is one of them. This method is particularly suitable for roses, as the scent and color of the flowers are also preserved. Dried rose petals can also be used in many ways.
Dry rose petals
Before deciding on a drying method, you should think about the further use of the petals. You can use them for this after drying:
- as living room decoration or for creative design
- for body care products such as bath salts or soap
- for consumption or as a decoration for cakes and muffins
It is always important to store the finished rose petals in a dry place. This can be done with paper bags, tightly closing jars or ground into powder in plastic cans. If the flowers are used as room decorations or to decorate handicrafts, they can be preserved with hairspray or clear varnish.
Decorative rose petals
Methods that are suitable:
- Drying with desiccants
- Oven with sand
- microwave
- Book Method/Flower Press
- Overhead Method/Air Dry
Dry with desiccant
All you need is the rose petals, a desiccant of your choice and a tight-fitting can. Pour the chosen desiccant into a can until the bottom is covered. Put the clean and dry rose petals on it. The petals should not touch. Pour another thick layer of desiccant into the can and seal. The drying process takes 2 to 3 weeks.
Suitable desiccants are:
- Special dry salt (available from florists)
- Silica gel (found in the small desiccant bags that come with shoes, for example)
- laundry detergent
All these funds are characterized by the fact that they absorb moisture. Salt and silica gel can later be dried in the oven and thus reused.
The finished petals are well suited for living room decoration, for example in a potpourri. The coloring can be a little weaker and if detergent has been used, the rose petals' inherent scent can be lost. However, these drying methods are not suitable for personal care products or for consuming the flowers afterwards.
Oven with sand
All you need is your kitchen oven and ordinary, fine sand. Scatter the sand on a baking sheet, spread the petals on it and sprinkle more sand on the roses.
The petals are dried at around 40 degrees. The sand also removes moisture from the petals and speeds up the process. After 30 minutes, the rose petals should be dry.
notice: As the petals may contain sand, they are not suitable for consumption or personal hygiene.
microwave
You'll need your flower petals, two sheets of kitchen paper, two microwave-safe plates, and your microwave.
tip: As an alternative to the plates, you can use fireproof tiles with a smooth surface.
Place a piece of kitchen paper on one of the plates, spread the petals on it and cover them with the second kitchen paper. Carefully place the second plate on top.
Place the tiles in the microwave for 40 to 90 seconds. Better check a little earlier. The leaves are flattened by the plates and lose their beautiful curvature. The method is particularly fast and suitable for all areas of application.
pressing flowers
book method
The book or pressing method is particularly popular for pressing various flowers and leaves. Roses can also be dried with it. Be sure to use kitchen paper or old newspapers next to the thick books to avoid damaging the book pages with moisture. Place the kitchen paper in the middle of the book. Place the petals on top and cover with another paper towel. Close the book and weigh it down with more books.
flower press
Another option is the flower press, which works similar to the book method. You can buy flower presses in creative supplies or build them yourself. They consist of several wooden discs, which have holes. Screws are put into the holes, the more they are tightened, the higher the pressure when pressing. The petals are distributed on the individual wooden discs.
Both pressing methods are particularly suitable for creative design. With the finished flowers you can stick pictures or cards. However, you must allow for a few days to weeks of dry time.
head over heels method
This method is suitable if you want to dry whole bouquets of roses. Here it is particularly important that you do not miss the right moment. The roses should be opening, but not fully bloomed. When the roses are about to fade, they don't dry well. They may lose their leaves or turn brown during the dry season.
Action
Tie the rose stems together with string. To protect them from dust, you can wrap a layer of newspaper around the bouquet. Hang the bouquet upside down in an airy, not too warm place. Do not hang them in the sun, the colors will fade.
With this method, however, you must assume that the roses will turn slightly brown as they dry.
Dried bouquets are good for decorating living spaces, but they can also be used as drying arrangements.
personal care products
Only non-toxic methods should be used. Finished rose petals can be mixed with bath salts or poured into soapy mass.
Methods:
- Oven without sand
- air dry
- dehydrator
Oven method without sand
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle the petals on it. Put the tray in the oven at 40 degrees and leave the door ajar so that the moisture can escape. Drying will take some time, turn the petals every now and then, being careful not to turn brown.
air dry
You can buy a screen for this or build one yourself out of fly wire. Another option is newspaper or paper towels. However, the air circulation is better with grids. A dry, airy and dark place in the house is best. Rose petals can be dried outdoors when the weather is nice, but gusts of wind can blow the petals off.
Do not put the petals too close to the grid or paper and leave them for a few days. Turn it every now and then and check the texture. They're done when they rustle.
dehydrator
A food dehydrator is popular in households where various foods are primarily dried. But it is also suitable for rose petals. It's a clean, simple process, but it consumes a lot of power. The dehydrator contains various grids on which the petals or whole flowers are placed. The grids are assembled and the device is switched on. Modern dehydrators can be set to the perfect drying temperature.
Not only do dehydrators work with heat, they also have ventilation that eliminates the need to turn them over. Leaves dried with a dehydrator are also suitable for consumption.
rose petals to eat
Only rose petals from the garden are suitable for consumption. Roses from the florist are often sprayed and should not be eaten! It's also important to use only non-toxic drying methods. In addition to the dehydrator and air drying, there are the following methods:
- Candied with egg white or sugar solution
- Production of rose sugar/salt
Rose petal candy
You can use egg white and fine sugar or water and sugar for this. If you want to use egg white, proceed as follows:
- Sprinkle a baking sheet with sugar
- Brush the clean petals with egg white
- Place the leaves on the baking sheet
- Sprinkle generously with sugar
- Allow rose petals to dry
Use sugar and water, cook a clear syrup from it. Dip the rose petals into the cold sugar solution. You can use leaves or whole flowers. You should twist and turn the latter well so that the syrup gets everywhere. Leaves can be painted with a brush. Whole flowers dry standing up in a jar, petals on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
rose sugar and rose salt
Both salt and sugar are good for drying because they draw water out of the petals. You can use the same method as with special dry salt. You can then crush the sugar and rose petals together in a mortar. Leave the mixture to dry a bit on a baking tray and keep it in tightly fitting jars.
