Sunday, July 28, 2013

Drying Roses

Roses are really easy to dry -- Look for ones either in you garden or to buy that are fairly fresh -- and not too past peak.   They need a place where the air is fairly dry -- you have to be careful that they dry out before rotting.  Do not leave in direct sunlight as the sun will fade out the color.   I find my house is perfect in winter months for drying -- when the air in the house is dry and harsh but we will see what happens here in July. 


While at trader Joes, I found these roses on sale called "Savoy".  They are a creamy shade, with darker pink around the edge.  They looked like they were in decent shape. 
The smaller tea roses dry better since there is less chance of rotting because they dry faster.  The pink shades dry really nicely.  The color intensifies as they dry so a pale pink might become quite vibrant when dry.  These are not the smaller tea roses and I'm not sure how the creamy shade will dry so we will have to see how they come out. 

 So, all you do is take off wrapper -- hang in a dry spot -- out of direct sunlight.  Here are mine hanging in a corner of my kitchen.  You might want to group them into smaller bunches so that they don't touch one another -- or separate by stuffing some tissue paper in center of the bunch.  A fan might help also to dry them more quickly.  Check on them in two weeks or so and make sure the stems are completely dry and stiff before taking down.  You then can arrange in a vase will some kind of filler like baby's breath or dried greens or break buds from stems and use to decorate a wreath or wall hanging.  Check back here in two weeks to see how these come out and see what I plan to do with them.  You can visit my Etsy shop here to see some of my wreaths and wall hangings.

12 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tips on drying roses -- I will have to take a look at your Etsy shop as well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I used to dry roses, but anymore, I just don't have the room (little apartment). I loved having them around and do miss them!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love dried flowers, but also have trouble finding the room with my art projects taking up every nook and cranny. Will just have to be satisfied with my lovely rose bushes outside :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. They will be lovely - that is a great color to dry. Roses become much more mellow and rich in color when dried. In my spare bedroom/work room, my husband strung for me two lines about 12 inches below the ceiling that attach at the top of the cupboards we had put in. They are expressly for drying flowers - but also get used to hang ironing that needs done or, in winter - to hang freshly cleaned garden ornaments like hummingbird feeders and wind chimes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the tips. I used to dry roses but they always turn brown and the petals fall apart.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have actually had luck with roses and other flowers, like hydrangeas drying, them upright in water.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ann Marie -- don't the stems bend over? Maybe you use them without the stems.

      Delete
  7. Those roses are stunning! I've been drying ours since I was a girl and now my oldest daughter dries hers, too, so she can hang them in her room. (aww!)

    ReplyDelete
  8. A beach gal by heart, I adore your shell creations, but I'm not too "sand and surf" that I can't appreciate the time and care that goes into drying these roses... eager to see how they come out! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for sharing how to dry roses. I love the smell of roses!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love dried roses and have been doing it for years. I love the look of the petals in potpourrie.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I loved dried flowers . . .but especially roses :) I'm guessing some of my pink ones faded because They were dried in the sun. Thanks for the tip and looking forward to seeing what you plan to do with them :)

    ReplyDelete