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How to Preserve Real Dried Flowers

By: Alicia Bodine

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21 September, 2017

Dried flowers image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com

You may want to dry flowers to preserve a memory, or to make a dried flower arrangement to display in your house. Once you dry your flowers, you will want to preserve them. Dried flowers are brittle, and can break apart quite easily. This is fine if you plan on making potpourri, but not if you want to keep your flowers intact. Preserving them will keep them from harm so that you can admire them for a long time.

Hairspray

Lay a sheet of newspaper over your counter, and place the dried flowers on top of it.

Spray the flowers with a light coating of hairspray. Turn the flowers over to get all four sides.

You may want to dry flowers to preserve a memory, or to make a dried flower arrangement to display in your house.

Let the hairspray dry on the dried flowers before you pick them up to use them.

Liquid Plastic

Put on a mask and a pair of plastic gloves. This is for your protection when you work with the liquid plastic.

Mix the liquid plastic (also called craft resin) with a hardening agent. Follow all of the instructions on the product label.

Pour 1/4 inch of the liquid plastic into a latex rubber mold. Allow it to set. This information will be on the product label and will either be 15 or 30 minutes.

Let the hairspray dry on the dried flowers before you pick them up to use them.
This is for your protection when you work with the liquid plastic.

Set the dried flower over the first layer of liquid plastic. Then add another 1/4 inch of liquid plastic over the dried flower. Let it set.

Keep adding 1/4 inch layers of liquid plastic to the mold until it is full. Once the last layer sets, you can pop the dried flower preserved in liquid plastic out, and display it.

Care For Dried Flowers

Whether you have dried flowers grouped in a wreath or arrangement, or single dried flowers for use in craft projects, you must care for them so they last as long as possible. Display dried flowers indoors, where they are protected from the elements. Keep them out of direct sunlight and areas of bright light, as this will cause the colors to fade and can make the flowers brittle. Avoid keeping dried flowers in rooms with high humidity. Exposure to moisture can cause some flowers preserved in a glycerin solution to "weep" from the stems or pores and drip onto nearby surfaces. Seal dried flower storage boxes well. Do not store dried flowers in plastic.

Set the dried flower over the first layer of liquid plastic.
Whether you have dried flowers grouped in a wreath or arrangement, or single dried flowers for use in craft projects, you must care for them so they last as long as possible.