When you receive a lovely bouquet for a special occasion or have an arrangement of stunning flowers that you want to continue to enjoy, you can preserve your flowers by drying or pressing them. Our flower experts at Ah Sam Florist, serving San Mateo and Silicon Valley, put together this guide to help you quickly dry your bouquet of flowers.

Dried Pink Roses

The Best Methods of Drying Flowers

The most preferred method for drying flowers is to tie their stems with string and hang them upside down in a warm location away from direct sunlight. This method not only preserves their shapes, but also prevents their vibrant colors from baking away, too. This method is the best choice, but only if you have several days to wait for your flowers to dry completely.

If you don’t have that much time or want to start a craft project, using your dried flowers, then we recommend the following quick methods for drying flowers.

Bouquet of Dried Roses

1. Microwave

In order to dry flowers in the microwave, you’ll need a microwave-safe container and silica sand. Trim your flowers to size, removing all unwanted leaves. Then arrange them in the container and cover completely with silica sand. Place them in the microwave, along with a cup of water, and blast them on 30-second intervals, checking in between each whether they’re ready. The total amount of time needed to remove all moisture will depend on the size and type of flowers which you’re drying.

2. Oven

You can also dry flowers in the oven. While this method takes a little longer than microwaving, it will allow you to keep your flowers’ stems much longer, if desired. Preheat your oven to its lowest heat setting and place flowers on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Make sure your flowers are not touching. Leave them in the oven with the door cracked to let moisture escape. You’ll want to keep an eye on your flowers, but it’s normal for them to need between eight and twelve hours to dry completely.

Dried Peach Roses

3. Dehydrator

If you have a kitchen dehydrator, you can use it to dry your flowers, too. We recommend setting it to about 100-degrees. Arrange flowers so that they don’t overlap inside. If you plan to press the flowers after removing them, then it’s okay if they’re not completely dry, and they can come out after a couple of hours. For completely dry flowers, you’ll need to leave them in the dehydrator for several hours.

The Best Flowers for Drying

Splash of Winter

While some flowers, those with flatter faces, can be beautifully preserved through pressing, other flowers are much better for drying (especially those with thicker, more bulbous blooms). If you plan to dry flowers, we highly recommend bouquets of vibrantly colored roses, snapdragon, orchids, and lilies. Other flowers that dry beautifully include statice, lavender, and strawflowers.

For more flower drying tips or bouquet recommendations, we welcome you to stop by Ah Sam Florist any day.

Bouquet of Dried Flowers in Glass Vase