Fancy a little romance within your own four walls. Rose petals are a handsome decoration, have a beautiful look and exude a lovely scent. Drying rose petals is a sensible measure to keep them for a long time. In this guide, creative minds will find many different methods, including detailed instructions, for gently removing the water from the rose petals.
Table of Contents
Remove rose petals from the bouquet
Naturally dried roses from your own garden are the most beautiful. In the winter months, however, the gardener inevitably has to resort to purchased bouquets. Later, however, the origin of the roses will not be recognizable. It is important for a successful result that the flower has not yet opened when it is removed. Since cut roses from a bouquet wither faster than fresh specimens from the bed, the gardener should remove the flowers promptly. About two days after buying a fresh bouquet, harvesting has proven its worth.
Instructions for separating the rose petals
In order not to harm either the rose petals or the plant, the gardener must not tear off the flowers. Instead, he carefully removes them with scissors. To do this, he cuts off the stem just below the flower head. Then he loosens the individual blossoms with his hand.
If he wants to dry a whole stem, he cuts it above the second leaf base. It is important to ensure that there are no other buds on the stem. Otherwise, these will shrink and later create an unsightly appearance.
Pick rose petals – timing
Early flowering varieties open their buds as early as the end of May in warm temperatures, while late specimens do not bloom until July. Most of the time, however, the lush bloom enriches the garden in June. It would be a shame to put an early end to the bloom. It is therefore advisable to harvest the roses as needed and in small quantities.
In order to wait for the right time, it makes sense to check the condition of the flowers daily. When the first parts begin to wither, it is usually too late to harvest them. Only fresh roses exude their physical fragrance even when dried and set colorful accents as decoration. On the other hand, like the flowers in the bouquet, they should not have fully unfolded. In contrast to the case explained above, another reason also plays a role here: if the gardener plucks the leaves before they open, there will be no new bud formation for this year.
If the gardener discovers a rose that has been rising for three or four days, he has found an ideal specimen.
possible uses
- as a table decoration
- as potpourri
- for crafting
- on envelopes and cards
- as a spice in the kitchen
- pour for tea
- for restful sleep
- as a natural alternative to fragrance sprays
These intensely rich rose varieties are particularly suitable for use as a fragrance:
- Beetrose „Sunlight Romantika“
- Kleinstrauchrose „Pink Roadrunner“
- Portlandrose “Rose de Resht”
- Rough rose „Agnes“
- Strauchrose „Rhapsody in Blue“
Different methods of drying
All types of roses are suitable for drying rose petals. No matter whether small flowers or large leaves – there is a recommended method for every taste. In addition, it is even possible to preserve whole rose stems in one piece by drying them. Of course, the gardener also has a free hand in the choice of colour.
1. Dry rose petals in the book
- Material required: a book, preferably blotting paper (alternatively absorbent kitchen paper)
- Duration: at room temperature about three weeks
This method is very well known and just as popular. No wonder, since the process is extremely simple. In addition, hardly any patience is required, since the rose petals dry on both sides at the same time.
The gardener places the leaves between two pieces of blotting paper in a book and closes it. On the one hand, these suck the moisture out of the flowers and, on the other hand, protect the book pages from dirt. It is important that the sheets do not overlap. After a week he should change the position of the sheets a little or, ideally, replace the blotting paper entirely.
The disadvantage, however, is that the leaves lose their natural curvature with this method and emerge from the drying process as a flattened end product. In this form, they are only suitable to a limited extent for elegant arrangements. Nevertheless, there are numerous alternative uses, such as decorating an envelope or in a picture frame.
2. Rose petals dry in the fresh air
- Materials needed: a grid or absorbent paper
- Duration: depends on site conditions
If the gardener wants to dry his rose petals in a completely natural way, he absolutely needs a wind-protected, sunny place. The warmer the temperatures at the chosen location, the quicker the rose petals are ready. Direct sunlight is therefore recommended.
Here, too, the blotting paper must be replaced after three days at the latest so that the absorbency does not decrease. Otherwise mold can even form. A grid prevents this risk, as it also ventilates the leaves from below.
When drying, the rose petals contract due to the loss of water and get the typical curvature. After three to four hours, the gardener should turn them regularly.
This method is also great for drying whole bouquets:
- Cut the stems diagonally
- Fill the vase with fresh water
- add the same amount of glycerin (from the pharmacy).
- Put the bouquet in the water
- remove from the vase after two days
- Tie bundles with a maximum of eight stems
- hang upside down in a sheltered, dry place
- after 4 to 6 days put in a vase without water
- after four weeks the bouquet has dried
3. Drying with detergent or salt
- Materials needed: Silica gel (bags filled with small beads for moisture prevention in leather bags or jewelry boxes), drying salt or ‘dry detergent’, an airtight container
- Duration: 3 to 4 days
This method has proven to be particularly quick and effective, since the aids are used specifically to remove moisture. The shapely curvature is also retained. The gardener applies a thin layer of the salt or other ingredient to the bottom of the jar. Then he puts the rose petals on top and covers them with another layer of salt. Now he closes the box and stores it in a dry place. If the first rose petals are successful, he can easily use the salt globules for a second round after the absorbed water has escaped.
4. Drying in the oven
- Material needed: Oven with a metal sheet, sand
- Duration: about half an hour
Among the numerous methods, this guide is probably the easiest. Notable advantages are for example:
- time saving
- small effort
- Preservation of the fragrance aroma
- very pronounced curvature
Simply spread some sand on the baking tray, spread the flowers on it and heat in the oven at 40°C for half an hour.
5. Rose petals dry in the microwave
- Materials needed: a microwave, absorbent paper, two microwaveable plates
- Duration: 40 seconds to 15 minutes depending on microwave power
The gardener spreads the flowers out on one of the plates, which he has previously covered with paper. He puts another layer of paper on top and then the second plate. Now just put it in the microwave and select the maximum wattage.
