Dried Flowers: Make Your Own Using Your Microwave

In days gone by, ladies would press fresh flowers in between the pages of a heavy book. After awhile, the flowers would dry out and become flat. This was the most primitive, yet probably the most effective way at the time, to preserve flowers for years to come.

Nowadays, it’s more popular to air-dry flowers, preserve them individually in wax, or make whole arrangements. The easiest method I have ever found to keep flowers looking real and beautify my home at the same time, is by using the Microwave Method. It’s quick, easy, and it provides the results I’m looking for.

To air-dry flowers, all you need to basically do is rubberband them together and hang them upside down in a closet away from sunlight. While this method works well, it takes time and available closet space. I don’t know about you, but I lack both. By using the Microwave Method, on the other hand, you can have a whole bouquet dried and ready for arranging in under a half hour.

The first step in this process is to gather together the flowers you want to dry. These can be flowers that are freshly picked from your garden. If you cut your own flowers, the best time to cultivate them is during the late morning hours when they aren’t dewy and wet. Or, you can purchase fresh flowers from your local florist. Or, you can gather wildflowers to make a colorful display of natural beauty. You can even use the flowers you have received in a bouquet as a gift.

For the best results, choose flowers that are just reaching their maturity. Avoid using flowers that have brown or shriveled up leaves or blossoms. Dried stems are hard to work with, so it’s best to snip off most of the length of the stems with a sharp pair of scissors, leaving only an inch or two on each flower.

After you have gathered and prepared the blossoms, you’re ready to dry them in your microwave oven. You’ll need to buy some silica gel crystals from your local craft shop. If you can’t find them there, perform a search on the Internet. If you’re not familiar with these crystals, think of the little packets you have found when you purchased items such as vitamins, over the counter medications, electronic equipment, and leather goods.

The next step is to find a flat, fairly large, microwave safe container. The size of the container you’ll need to use will, of course, depend on the amount of flowers you’re drying. Place enough crystals in the container so that they cover the bottom and are about a half inch deep. Then, place the container in your microwave oven and cook on “High” heat for three minutes. This cooking will dry the crystals out completely. Carefully remove the container from your microwave and set it aside temporarily.

Then, pour more of the silica gel crystals into another heavy glass container- a measuring cup works well- and microwave these for three minutes too. In the meantime, carefully push the blossoms you want to preserve into the crystals in the flat container. Make sure each flower stands up straight. Be careful not to knock off any petals, too.

The next step is to slowly pour the warmed silica gel crystals over the flowers, making sure to cover each one completely. When you have finished, place the flat container back into the oven and microwave on “High” again. How long you’ll need to microwave them will depend on the type of flowers you’re using. If the blooms are full and moist, they can take as long as five minutes to thoroughly dry. But, if they are small, have a lot of petals and not much body to them, they can successfully dry in a couple of minutes. You’ll need to experiment at this point in order to find the best drying times for each type of flower.

Finally, remove the flat container from your microwave and allow it to cool and set undisturbed for twenty minutes. Carefully remove the flowers one-by-one and brush them off ever so lightly with a soft brush. Apply a light coating of either acrylic spray or hair spray to each blossom. Acrylic spray can also be found at your local craft store. It’s used to seal and protect flowers as well as other items.

Once your flowers are finished, you can use florist’s wire and sticks in order to make an arrangement that will last a long time to come. You can also use them to decorate wreaths as well as other items.

One final note- periodically, when your dried flowers need to be cleaned, you can gently blow them off with your hair dryer on the “Low” setting.