How to Dry & Preserve Flowers (2020)

Dried flowers are a beautiful touch to any home! They'll never wilt, unlike live flowers, and if they're preserved well they'll still be lovely to look at. Most of us know how to press flowers dry with a book, but did you know there are other methods? And in some cases, those methods are much faster!

So we've put together a handy guide to all the different ways you can press flowers. As it turns out, there are several methods you can use! Some take weeks, while others take just minutes; it all depends on which flowers you're drying and how many. Scroll through this quick and easy-to-follow guide, and find the method that works best for you. Then, get drying! You'll have beautiful bouquets of dried flowers in no time.

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Method 1: Hang them up to dry.

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This is the most traditional (and simplest) technique. All you need to do is hang them and leave them exposed to air, hence this being known as the “hang and dry" method.

You’ll need some twine.

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Tie together the bouquet that you’re planning to dry, and hang them upside down from some sort of hook or hanger. Give it a few weeks, and you’ll have a bouquet of dried flowers.

Method 2: You could microwave them.

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Turns out, microwaves are super effective when it comes to drying flowers! But to be more specific, you’ll need more than just the microwave: you’ll also need silica sand and a microwave-safe dish.

Cover the flower in silica sand.

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Once you’ve got your flower nice and buried in a dish filled with silica, you can pop it in the microwave and heat in 30-second increments until the plant looks dry. Generally, this takes about 2-3 minutes in total.

You’re not quite done yet.

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Once you’ve finished with the microwave, you should still leave the flower in the dish covered in silica for a full 24 hours. Then, remove it and brush away any excess grains, and voila! Dried flowers. 

Method 3: Use silica gel, and skip the microwave.

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Get some silica gel, and place it in an air-tight container—make sure the layer of gel is at least 1 inch deep. Then, pack in the flowers you want to dry, trimming stems and leaves as necessary. Pour another layer of silica gel over the petals until everything is covered, then seal the container and leave it for 2 - 6 days.

Method 4: Press-dry.

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This is the most popular and well-known method, though time could affect whether or not you actually want to use it! There are also different press-dry methods, so let’s check them out!

First, you could use a notebook.

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Remove unwanted leaves from the flower and lay it flat on parchment paper. Then, place the flower (and paper) in the pages of the notebook. Pile a few extra heavy books on top of that for good measure! Finally, let the flowers sit for 3-4 weeks until dry!

Or, you could use an iron.

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This is another way, much like the microwave method, to speed up the process. You’ll need to place the flowers between two pieces of parchment paper first. Then, turn your iron to its low setting—no water or steam features!

Lay the flowers in parchment paper on an ironing board.

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Press the iron on the paper in 15-second increments, removing it and waiting until the paper is cool again before going in for another 15 seconds. Repeat until the flower is dried, and you’re all set!