Drying Flowers Face-down or Horizontally
All mediums
If flowers are to be dried face-down, or horizontally, cover bottom
of the can or box with an inch or more of the medium you have chosen.
Holding the flower slightly above this, lightly fluff it up, under,
around and over until the flower is barely covered. Put only one layer
in each can or box. Clusters of flowers may also be dried in this way.
Stems need not be covered.
Time required for drying
The time needed for dehydration depends upon a number of things;
temperature, humidity, medium used and moisture content of the flower.
All flowers in silica gel dry more quickly than in other mediums.
Additional heat for quick drying
It is sometimes desirable to hasten the drying time of certain
flowers. This may be accomplished by placing the box, or can, containing
the flowers, on top of a furnace. Watch the flowers carefully and remove
from the heat as soon as they are dry, or they will become too brittle.
If you use the hanging method and desire quick drying, suspend flowers
directly over the furnace.
Combining fresh and dried material
Sometimes, to give an extremely naturalistic effect, dried flowers
may be used with fresh evergreen foliage. If well conditioned, all
foliage of this type will last for several weeks so that the arrangement
will be semi-permanent. When the foliage fades it will be a simple
matter to replace with fresh evergreens.
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