How do you preserve a flower someone gives you?

See i dont much care for the died gray and dusty look..so is there some way i can dry it out?

How do you preserve a flower someone gives you?
The simplest way to preserve it is to dry it by hanging it upside down in a cold place, away from light to prevent discoloring. Spray it with hair spray to prevent shattering. It will be ready in about 1-2 weeks. This works well with roses and other flowers that dry well. There are some flowers that do not dry well, so depending on what you received you may need to press it in newspaper between some heavy books. This will work better for something like a carnation.



You could also dry it by burying it in sand or silica-gel. They sell those kits in places like Michael's (see link below). Dry the flower when it's half way open, do not wait until it is fully open or you'll have a greater chance of the petals falling off.



You could also ask a professional to freeze dry it but it is expensive. Ask your local florist.
Reply:to preserve it's color you'll need it freeze dried so that the water inside it is subliminated out of it. Basically they put it into a huge decompression chamber and then lower the temperature and air pressure until it's litterally the same environment as deep space and at that level of pressurization the frozen ice crystals change phase directly from a solid to a gas, leaving the flower in it's original shape, color, and size but without ANY water within it.



A cheaper, and more practical solution, would be a food dehydrator on it's very lowest setting but will not give you quite the same amazing "real life" results.



To find a company that does freeze drying check your local phone book or contact local florists and dry cleaners, they'll know where to go. Problem is that you have to get your flowers to them ASAP to prevent decay as soon as possible.

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