There’s nothing lovelier than fresh cut flowers gracing your kitchen table or brightening a place in your home. But even after the blossoms begin to fade, you can continue to enjoy their beauty by drying them. This how to dry roses technique couldn’t be easier.
There is something about the way roses look when dried that is just so lovely. They seem to evoke thoughts of a gentler, bygone era. The papery, vintage look of dried flowers impart their own lasting beauty.
How to dry roses
There are different methods to dry roses but this simple way is how I do it.
- Cut your rose blossom. It is best to do this in the morning when the dew has dried. (I mostly dry flowers that have been displayed in a vase in my home for a couple of days and just begin to show signs of fading. I have even dried flowers that are looking rather beat and they still dry nicely.)
- Remove the thorns by carefully pressing and bending them until they snap off.
- You can remove the leaves or leave a few on if you prefer.
- Twist a rubber band around the bottom of the stem leaving a loop.
- Twist the loop into a hanger allowing the roses to hang upside-down.
- Place in a warm, dry and dark place with good ventilation. The closet where my hot water heater is located is a perfect place in my home.
- It will take about a week for the roses to dry completely . If the roses are still soft in the center, they are not completely dry so give them a few more days and check again. When dried, they will be brittle so if a few of the outside petals fall off, don’t worry, they will still be beautiful!
So here is my high-tech, environmentally controlled, official flower drying closet. The best part is that this closet is right near my kitchen so it takes just a second to tie up a bunch or a few single stems, and tuck them away for a few days.
The roses will shrink and change color considerably.
Uses for dried roses
Use dried roses for crafts projects, embellishing gift packages and food gifts.
Bake Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread and after cooling, wrap and tie with a ribbon. Tuck a dried rose and sprigs of greenery under the ribbon for a lovely and thoughtful presentation.
Fill a gift bag with homemade muffins and tuck in pretty napkins and a small bouquet of dried rose stems.
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Thank you for sharing this. I have dried roses before but am never really happy with the results. Your dried roses are just lovely.
How lovely!!
My parents had a garden and my Mon used to dry the roses every now and then.
Yours looks really beautiful. Thanks for the tutorial
The dried rose looks prettier than a normal rose.
Your roses are beautiful, thanks for sharing this drying method
Thank you for sharing this process. I have some beautiful roses outside of my window, that I would like to preserve. Yours look so pretty!
Wonderful tutorial! they look just beautiful:)
I will have to try this–I have never seen roses dried this way. Thanks for sharing!
this is such a lovely way to prolong
the beauty of beautiful roses.
thank you for the drying lesson!
Thanks for the tutorial. I received some gorgeous white roses that I think would dry to a lovely buttery soft color. I'll give your technique a try.
Hugs,
Patti
They look beautiful and smell good too I'll bet! Happy Weekend:@)
I'm afraid I don't see very many roses 'round where I live, but if I do, this will be a beautiful way to preserve them. Thanks for sharing how, and have a great weekend! ~tina
I love the way roses change colors as they dry, You never know for sure how they will turn out. Thanks for the tutorial. I've just left mine sitting but they would do better done in the proper way I think!
Beautiful. I used to dry my roses, but haven't for years now. I just may have to do that this year.
They look lovely. My mother used to have some beautiful china roses when I was younger and they looked just like these. I will definitely be trying this, that is if we ever get roses – the spring here is very wet and cold.
I love dried roses. Mother & I used to collect rosebuds to dry and add them to potpourri.
Perfect timing Lorraine! My roses are blooming beautifully right now. Time to pick a few and give this a try!