Tips On How To Dry Roses

Roses are undoubtedly one of the near-perfect creations of
nature. They adorn homes, gardens and landscapes with beauty,
elegance and grace as no other thing can do. Yet being a living
thing, the lie of a rose is not immortal!

Yet if you so desire, you can let the charm carry on ! By using
the drying process, you can make the rose live again. And this
process is simple and not very expensive. Dried roses are as
handsome as they looked when they were in full bloom.

Rose Drying Techniques

The two most common processes for rose drying are air drying
and sand drying. Of the two, air drying is easier and requires
only a good and clean pair of shears, some wire, a coat hanger
and a dark dry location. Start by cutting the stem of the rose,
as close to the head of the rose as possible. Then insert a wire
which is about 6 to 8 inches long into the rose head.

Now the drying process starts. Roses need to dry in an upside
down position. Tie one end of the wire on to a hanger. You can
tie many such roses upside down on the hanger. Just leave some
space between the roses for air to circulate. Then put the
hanger in a dark and dry place – an unused closet can be an
ideal location. Roses need typically 1 to 3 weeks to dry.

You can also hand many roses upside down from a nail. Do not
cut off the stems in this case, merely remove the leaves which
are at the bottom. Then hold the bunch of roses together, tie
the stems with an elastic band, and hang them in a dark and dry
corner, till dry.

The other rose drying technique is the sand drying process. It
takes a little more effort but works wonderfully. Take a rose
when it is in full shape and form. Cut the stem leaving about
an inch. Make sure that the stem, leaves and flower are really
dry and free from dew or any other water. take a wire and
insert it through the stem till it reaches the head. Take a
deep box and fill it up with white sand to a height when the
rose can stand upright in the box.

Next hold the rose stand in to the box and start filling it up
first to cover the base, then the stem and then the petals
slowly. The whole idea is to retain the original shape and form
of the flower. Go on covering the whole flower with san till you
can no longer see the flower. Then put the sand and rose filled
box in a dark and dry place and leave it for 1 to 3 weeks to
dry completely. You have to be very careful while removing the
flower from its sand box. . Tip the box gradually to remove the
sand and empty the box. Clutch each rose as it becomes sand
free.

Wax, glycerin or a desiccant are also used for rose drying but
these processes are a bit lengthy. A popular way to dry roses
is to place it between the pages of a fat book.

There are many uses of dried roses. From being part of a floral
arrangement, decorative wreaths, bouquets for weddings and
framed artwork. Dried rose petals make good potpourri as well
as confetti !


About The Author: Beverly Kane is a staff writer at
http://homegardenenthusiast.com and is an occasional
contributor to several other websites, including
http://www.theshoppinggazette.com.