Drying Roses

Here's a great way to make your fresh cut roses last forever!

The easiest way to dry roses is simply by air drying. There is a couple of tricks to this though and can mean taking them out of water earlier than you normally planned.

The secret is to start as soon as possible. Select stems of rose blooms just a couple days before their prime. This means the rose will still appear tight. Past prime or bloomed-out roses usually drop their petals too easily when dried and damaged blooms are unsightly in dried arrangements.

Remove the lower leaves from the stems. Then, using rubber bands to fasten, group roses together in small bunches being careful that no blooms touch each other.

Hang the individual bundles upside down in a dry, dark, warm area. A clothes hanger in an empty closet works great or even the ceiling in a kitchen.

Drying times can vary, but roses should dry within 10 days.

Things you will need:

• Good sterile pruners. We recommend the Felco Pruner #4
• Coat hangers or floral wire
• Rubber bands
• Waste basket

Rose colors that dry well are: Pink, Yellow, Medium Red, and Orange . Dark Red roses usually turn black and White Roses usually turn grey. Mauve or Lavender Roses have varied success.