How to Dry a Rose

There are many reasons why you might want to dry a rose. Some people just want to keep a memento of a special moment. Perhaps they are a part of a wedding that you went to or were a gift from a mate, friend, or family member. Whatever your reasons, this is the section where you will learn to properly dry a rose.

Air Drying - Air drying is by far the easiest and cheapest method of drying flowers -- including roses. It is simple; all you have to do is follow these instructions:

Start with perfect and unflawed roses on their stems. If the roses are not in perfect condition, they will wither and the petals will fall off.
Remove any leaves that may be on the branches.
Bunch them up together in a manner that lets them fan out and tie the bottom with string or a rubber band.
Hang them upside down in a dark, dry place for two to three weeks to be certain that they are completely dry.

Sand Drying - Start by picking the roses that are in perfect condition. They shouldn't have any dew on them and the stems should be dry as well. You can reinforce the stems and blossom with either white glue or florist wire. For florist wire, you will want to cut off most of the stem but leave about one inch of stem.

Push about 3 inches of wire through the stem and right through the flower head.
Bend the end of the wire into a hook over each rose head and pull it down. This helps to keep the head secured to the stem.
When choosing to use the glue, dilute the glue with a dab of water.
Take a toothpick and dab a thin coat of the glue mixture at the base of each petal and work the glue into the base of the stems of each flower so that you can attach each petal to the base. Wait till the glue dries completely.
Slowly and carefully cover the flowers with sand in deep open boxes, making the sand in the box deep enough to hold the flowers upright.
Sit each flower in the sand filled box and slowly pour sand around the base, around the sides, and over and under the petals. You should pour the sand evenly so that you can preserve the flowers natural shape.
You will want to wait for the flowers to dry while facing upright.
Put the boxes with the roses in a dry space that is warm and brightly lit. This will ensure that your roses will maintain their bright color.
Let them dry for one to three weeks.
If you want more muted colors, you will want to dry them in a more humid area.
To remove the sand, tip the drying container slightly so that the sand can fall off the flowers.
Remove each flower one by one.

These dried flowers will make great decorations for any room in your house or office.