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Drying Crafts
You've all seen a flower so perfect in form, color,
and texture that you wish you could keep it forever.
With a dehydrator, it now can become a reality.
Drying Flowers
Preserve garden and natural favorites for attractive dried flower arrangements, Christmas
and holiday decorations, party favors, place cards and corsages. Help your children dry
specimens for their science class. Many lovely flowers, foliage, flowering grasses, seedheads,
cones, and non-flowering plants may be dried simply by placing on drying trays and drying at
130º to 145ºF (55-63C) until no moisture is evident. This is wonderful for those of us who are
too busy to experiment with other techniques, and also for the beginner who has not
attempted preserving flowers before. Quite interesting arrangements can be made with these
dried materials. Materials suitable for drying by this method are bracts, cultivated and wild
grasses, seedheads, foliage, and everlasting flowers.
Using Desiccant
For flowers with petals, leaves, ferns, fungi, and some varieties of mosses, the best way to
preserve them is to use a desiccant powder. A desiccant is a substance which absorbs
moisture. It speeds the drying process, especially when used in a dehydrator, preserving the
vibrant colors and delicate structure of the flower. The longer the drying process, the more
colors will fade. Using a desiccant in your dehydrator will allow flowers to dry in a day instead
of a week or two. There are several brands of flower desiccants available from craft stores.
They may seem a little expensive, but can be reused indefinitely. Silica gel is the generic
name and absorbs up to 50 percent of its own weight in moisture. Have perfect flowers, fresh
and free of moisture. Yellows and blues maintain their color better than reds or whites.
• Remove stems from flowers and insert a short 20-gauge stub wire.
(Add a longer stem when arranging later.)
• Place 1⁄2" desiccant in bottom of containers that are no higher than 3-1⁄4".
• Place flat-faced flower face-down, with petals resting easily on the sand. Rounded
double flowers such as roses and daffodils should be dried with their heads upwards.
Flowers which are trumpet or bell-shaped should be laid on their sides.
• Gently sprinkle desiccant between the flowers and into every petal and crevice, with
about 1⁄2" desiccant covering top. Do not cover. When desiccant drying is done outside
of the dehydrator, containers should be covered.
• Place containers on the dehydrator tray. Place lid on top of dryer and plug in dehydrator.
Most flowers will be totally dry in 24 hours or less.
• To test for dryness, gently scrape back the desiccant and remove one flower. Hold the
flower to your ear and give it a gentle tap. If it is dry, it will sound crisp and papery.
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