The 8 Best Ways to Preserve Flowers at Home

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Keep and display your beautiful blooms forever with these simple tips
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Do you love the look of flowers in your home but wish you could enjoy them for more than a few days? Rather than letting fresh flowers fade and die out, there are so many ways to preserve them and keep them in your home for years to come. Whether you’re saving a single flower from your garden or an entire bouquet, we’ll help keep those blooms looking great. Keep reading for all the most effective preservation methods for your flowers and the best ways to decorate with them.

Things You Should Know

  • Remove the leaves from your flower stems and tie them together with string. Hang the flowers upside-down for 3–4 weeks until they’re dried out.
  • Preserve flowers that were cut right before they were in peak bloom so they have the most vibrant color.
  • Spray your flowers with unscented hairspray and keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent fading or crumbling.
Section 1 of 4:

Flower Preservation Techniques

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  1. Air-drying your flowers is the simplest way to preserve them since you don’t need any special equipment besides some string. Try air-drying flowers that have sturdy stems, like baby’s breath, money plant, statice, and strawflowers. [1] Blue and yellow flowers retain their colors the best, while pink blooms may fade slightly. [2]
    • First, remove any foliage from the stems that you don’t want to dry, and cut them to the length you want.
    • Next, tie the flower stems together with string. If you’re drying large flowers like peonies or hydrangeas, leave them separate rather than bundling them together.
    • Hang the flowers upside-down in a cool, dark place with good air circulation, like a basement, closet, or pantry for 3-4 weeks.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Preserve Flowers
    Using a heavy book to save flowers squeezes all the moisture out of them so they maintain their color. Because you’ll have to close the book to press your flowers , this method works best for flower petals or flat-faced blooms, like violets, daisies, pansies, and zinnias. [3]
    • Cut your flower’s stem to the desired length so it’s short enough to fit the whole flower inside the book.
    • Sandwich the flowers between 2 sheets of newspaper, tissues, cardboard, or coffee filters. Avoid paper towels since the patterns could imprint on the flowers.
    • Open an old heavy book, like a dictionary or encyclopedia, and place your flowers and paper between the pages. Close the book and place 2–3 more books on top of it.
    • Leave your flowers for 2–4 weeks to fully press and dry them. If the paper covering the flowers becomes saturated before they’re done drying, replace the sheets.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Preserve Flowers
    Dry your flowers under silica gel or fine sand. Silica gel is a small granular material that easily absorbs water from your flowers. [4] This process works best for flowers that have large blooms or multiple petals, like violets, roses, tulips, dahlias, and mums, since drying them any other way could cause the blooms to shrivel. [5]
    • Fill the bottom of a container with 1 in (2.5 cm) of silica gel or fine sand.
    • Cut the flower stem so it’s 1 ⁄ 2 inch (1.3 cm) long and stick it in the middle of the silica gel or sand. If the flower is flat, put it face-down. If the flower is more round, keep it face-up.
    • Pour more silica gel or sand around the perimeter of the container, and tap the edges lightly so it fills in around the flower. Add more gel or sand until it completely covers the flower petals by about 1 in (2.5 cm).
    • Leave your flower buried in the silica gel for about 1 week before carefully removing it. If you’re using sand, leave the flower for 2–3 weeks instead. [6]
  4. If you’re in a rush to preserve your flowers, your microwave can quickly draw out all the moisture from your flowers. Since the blooms will flatten after you microwave them, this works best for individual petals or flat-faced flowers like daisies. [7]
    • Sandwich your flowers flat between non-patterned paper towels or coffee filters.
    • Place your flowers in your microwave. Set a heavy, microwave-safe dish on top of your flowers to weigh them down.
    • Run your microwave on low or the defrost setting for 1 minute.
    • Check if your flower feels dry to the touch. If not, run your microwave in 30-second increments until they’re done, which should take 1–4 minutes total.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Preserve Flowers
    Dip your flowers in paraffin wax . If you want fresh blooms to keep looking great a few months after cutting them, dipping flowers in wax is the perfect temporary solution. Wax works great for flowers that die out within a few days of cutting, such as camellias. It may take a few tries to get a smooth finish on the wax, but your flowers will look amazing when you’re finished. [8]
    • Heat 5 pounds (2.3 kg) of wax and 1 1 ⁄ 2  US pt (710 ml) of mineral oil in a large wok until it’s 138 °F (59 °C).
    • Drag the fresh-cut flower through the wax in a single, smooth motion.
    • Plunge the flower into ice water and stand it upright to dry completely.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Preserve Flowers
    Soak your flowers in a water and glycerin solution. When you soak flowers in glycerin, the solution gets absorbed into the stems so they stay flexible. That way, you’re able to bend the stems or branches if you want to make a flower wreath or garland. Glycerin works best for flowers with mature leaves, like magnolia, mistletoe, boxwood, camellia, and rhododendron. [9]
    • Mash the ends of the stems with a hammer.
    • Place the stems in a mixture that’s 1 part glycerin and 2 parts water.
    • Leave your flowers in the glycerin solution for 2–3 weeks, or until all the foliage turns golden-brown. Refill the solution if your flowers absorb it all.
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Preserve Flowers
    Seal dried flowers in an epoxy resin mold. Epoxy resin dries clear and is the most permanent way to preserve your flowers. Any flower looks great when you use epoxy resin , but they need to be dried out beforehand. Use any of the other methods to dry out your flowers before putting them in epoxy. [10]
    • Wear a face mask and gloves while you’re working.
    • Combine the epoxy resin in a small cup with a stir stick or toothpick, following the mixing directions on the package.
    • Pour 1 ⁄ 2  in (1.3 cm) of resin into a mold that’s the shape you want.
    • Arrange the dried flowers in the resin. If you'd like, add some additional flourishes like beads and sequins to the resin.
    • Pour another layer of resin to completely cover the flower and fill up the mold.
    • Pop any air bubbles in the resin and between petals using a toothpick.
    • Let the resin cure for 24–48 hours. After that, the resin will feel hard and will easily pop out of the mold.
  8. When you freeze-dry flowers , they sit in a refrigerated chamber and drop the temperature just below freezing. After that, all the air is removed from the chamber and the moisture inside the flowers turns into a gas. When your flowers are warmed back up to room temp, they’ll be dried and ready to display. Since the process is difficult to do on your own and requires expensive equipment, contact a local florist to see if they’re able to freeze-dry the blooms for you. [11]
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Section 2 of 4:

Best Times to Preserve Flowers

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Preserve Flowers
    If you are cutting fresh flowers to dry them, wait until just before they’re in peak bloom. That way, they’ll dry out better and hold their bright, vibrant colors instead of fading. [12]
    • Since flowers bloom at different times throughout the year, harvest and dry multiple flowers throughout the growing season to have a variety of blooms to decorate with.
  2. If you’re saving a bouquet, try to start the preservation process immediately to help retain the flowers’ shapes and colors. If you can’t start preserving your flowers right away, keep them in water and inside your fridge for a few days until you’re able to. [13]
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Section 3 of 4:

How do I make preserved flowers last?

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Preserve Flowers
    Spray dried flowers with hairspray . After drying out your flowers, spray the flowers with any unscented hairspray you have at home. The spray will help the blooms retain their shape and prevent them from dropping petals. [14]
  2. Sunlight causes dried flowers to potentially crumble and lose their color. To keep your flowers or bouquet looking bright and beautiful, store your flowers in a shady spot that’s out of the sun. [15]
    • Avoid keeping dried flowers in humid areas of your home as well since moisture could reabsorb into the foliage.
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Section 4 of 4:

Decorating with Preserved Flowers

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  1. Choose your favorite vase and arrange your flowers into a bouquet. Try combining flowers and foliage that have complementary colors, or use a variety of blooms with different textures and colors to make your bouquet really pop. Keep your dried bouquet at the center of your dining room table or on a living room coffee table. [16]
    • Put floral netting inside of the vase to help keep the stems separated and easier to move around.
    • Since you dried the flowers, you don’t have to worry about watering your bouquet or the blooms wilting.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Preserve Flowers
    If you’d like to add a classic flourish to your living room, place any flowers that you dried and flattened inside of your favorite picture frame. Arrange multiple flowers to make an eye-catching design before securing the back to the frames. Place the framed flowers on a shelf, display them on your mantle, or hang them on the wall. [17]
  3. If you choose to preserve your flowers in resin, you have a plethora of options when it comes to decorating with them. Leave the flowers in resin on a desk to use as a paperweight, or try displaying them proudly on a wall shelf or hanging them on your wall with a nail. If you want to show off your preserved flowers, then use the resin as a charm on a necklace or pair of earrings for the world to see. [18] [19]
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How do you preserve flowers and keep their color?
    Lana Starr, AIFD
    Certified Floral Designer & Owner, Dream Flowers
    Lana Starr is a Certified Floral Designer and the Owner of Dream Flowers, a floral design studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dream Flowers specializes in events, weddings, celebrations, and corporate events. Lana has over 14 years of experience in the floral industry and her work has been featured in floral books and magazines such as International Floral Art, Fusion Flowers, Florist Review, and Nacre. Lana is a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) since 2016 and is a California Certified Floral Designer (CCF) since 2012.
    Lana Starr, AIFD
    Certified Floral Designer & Owner, Dream Flowers
    Expert Answer
    When dried, flowers will lose a little bit of their color and will also shrink. Keep this in mind as you choose flowers to preserve, as they'll be smaller and less vibrant than they are when fresh.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 5 Helpful 12
  • Question
    What is a fast way to preserve flowers?
    Community Answer
    One of my favorite ways to keep my flowers fresh and looking lovely is to simply spray them with a little bit of hairspray. Also, try adding a sugar cube or a spoon full sugar to your water. The flower will use this as food. If you have a little bit of any clear soda with sugar left at the bottom of your bottle, add this to your vase with water. Like the sugar, the flowers will use the sugar in the soda as food.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 9 Helpful 17
  • Question
    What is a way to preserve flowers without any chemicals?
    Community Answer
    Drying the flowers upside down or pressing them is a natural way to preserve flowers, though you should be warned that the effect is generally considered less pleasing than using chemicals. Using sand is another method that uses no chemicals.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.purdue.edu/hla/sites/yardandgarden/bring-in-flowers-for-drying/
      2. ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/drying-flowers/
      3. ↑ https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-dry-flowers/
      4. ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/drying-flowers/
      5. ↑ https://www.purdue.edu/hla/sites/yardandgarden/bring-in-flowers-for-drying/
      6. ↑ https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2079/2014/02/Preserving.pdf
      7. ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g6540
      8. ↑ https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/design/outdoor-living/plant-craft/
      9. ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/drying-flowers/
      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/jPzNu7bEpUA?t=56
      2. ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g6540
      3. ↑ https://publications.ca.uky.edu/sites/publications.ca.uky.edu/files/ho70.pdf
      4. ↑ https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP004
      5. ↑ https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-dry-flowers/
      6. ↑ https://publications.ca.uky.edu/sites/publications.ca.uky.edu/files/ho70.pdf
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/t4Sjrj0MvUg?t=30
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/5MInBlUg-sg?t=308
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/jPzNu7bEpUA?t=632
      10. ↑ https://youtu.be/CDmeqPNQ_q4?t=651

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To preserve flowers, first wrap a rubber band around the stems to keep them together. Then, use dental floss to hang them upside down from a hanger. Put the hanger somewhere dry and dark, like a closet or attic, and wait about 2 weeks for the flowers to dry completely. Finally, spray a little hairspray on the flowers to protect them before you display them. If you don't want to hang the flowers to dry, you can lay them out between 2 pieces of paper, and put the papers in the middle of a heavy book. Give the flowers 2-4 weeks to dry out, then remove them carefully. To learn how to use silica gel to dry and preserve your flowers, keep reading!

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      Reader Success Stories

      • Kimberly Vaillincourt

        Sep 28, 2016

        "I grew a large sunflower garden this spring, and I wanted to preserve as many as I could. Very helpful site."
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