How to keep your favorite flowers at home

FLOWERS and bouquets often have sentimental value, but they don’t last forever.

With these few simple tips, you can keep your favorite flowers and even display them around the house.

Whatever the occasion – a wedding, an anniversary, an anniversary or just a beautiful gesture, flowers symbolize love and memories.

Keeping flowers at home is cheap and easy, and it’s a great way to keep your favorite bouquet a little longer.

There are a few general rules when storing flowers, such as keeping them out of direct sunlight and planning in advance where you want them displayed.

You also need to make sure the petals are still vibrant, colorful, and unblemished while you are about to preserve them, otherwise they will fade.

Depending on your budget, your patience, and the materials you have, here are the top tips for keeping flowers at home.

1. Hang them upside down to air dry.

This is one of the easiest ways to store individual flowers and entire bouquets.

Depending on the type of flowers, it can take a week to a few months for them to dry completely.

First, remove all leaves and foliage from the stem and tie them into small bundles using string, rubber bands, or clothespins.

Hang them upside down in a dry, dark, well-ventilated place.

Check every now and then if they’re ready – when they get dry and stiff, it’s time to move them.

Display them in a cool, dry place.

A good tip for keeping them even longer is to coat them with a few even coats of hairspray after they’re completely dry.

2. Squeeze them between the books

It’s a classic way to store flowers, and it’s almost effortless.

Make sure you have an idea for displaying them afterwards – a clear photo frame works great with this method.

Arrange the flowers however you want them kept and place them between the pages of a heavy book, such as a phone book.

Make sure the paper is absorbent and non-shiny, so that it can absorb moisture.

Place a few books or heavy objects on top to keep it completely flat, and leave the flowers pressed for two to four weeks.

To prevent them from bleeding through the pages and destroying the book, lay a paper towel or waxed paper with the flowers before squeezing them.

3. Dry them in the microwave

While it might sound odd, microwaving is a super quick and easy way to store.

Before you start the process, be sure to clean the flowers and cut off most of the stem.

Find a microwave-safe container and use silica gel to cover the bottom, no more than an inch or two.

Place the flowers inside and add another inch of gel.

Alternatively, you can use coffee filters or a tea towel to absorb the moisture.

Set the microwave to medium and microwave for 2 to 5 minutes at short intervals of 10 to 30 seconds.

Some flowers, like roses, can withstand higher temperatures.

Once microwaved, let the flowers sit for 24 hours, then lightly brush off excess gel.

4. Place them in a glycerin solution

Glycerin preserves flowers and foliage by replacing water in the plant, making the stored item shiny and long-lasting.

This method is more suited to foliage, but some flowers like hydrangea, baby’s breath and Irish bells work well.

For the glycerin solution, mix two parts of lukewarm water to one part of glycerin and place the stem of the flower in the mixture.

If you keep only leaves, they should be completely submerged in the solution of glycerin and water.

It takes between two and four weeks, and the end results are impressive.

5. Enclose them in resin

It’s a fun way to not only preserve the flowers, but also turn them into a great decorative piece, paperweight or coaster.

Obtain a mold of your choice and fill it halfway with epoxy resin.

Place the flowers inside and arrange them nicely, then fill in the rest.

Make sure the resin is dry before removing the mold and displaying it.

This way the flowers retain their shape and color, and are essentially frozen in time.