preserving flowers

[Spreeny]

My husband died recently and was buried yesterday, I've kept a couple of roses from my spray of flowers & would love to preserve them as a keepsake. Can anyone suggest anything please......

[rowanwitch]

Here is how I preserve flowers...

Get some borax from a chemist...yuowill need quite a bit... put a layer in a small box or tin and put the roses in with the heads upwards you won't be able to keep much stem though... sprinkle borax over them working it in between the petals with a paintbrush until they are covered... put the open box in a dry place forabout three weeks then check the flowers whey should be perfectly dry but will be slightly brittle you will need to brush the borax off with a paintbrush

Get a clear brandy glass and put a little bit of plasticine or florists fixing clay in the bottom...arrange your rose heads by pressing the stems into it and hide the fixing with a few silk leaves or pebbles measure the dimeter of the top of the class and get a glass merchant to cut you a sircle to fit on to of the glass and polish the edges....glue it to the top of the glass to protect the roses from moisture in the air... display somewhere out of direct light or they will fade...

There are companies that will freeze dry and frame fresh flowers too but they are very expensive...

Hope that helps...

[Barmaid]

I am sure that Rowan's tip works better than mine, but I have successfully kept flowers from my wedding day (which I only chucked out recently and that was 13 years ago). The roses I simply took out of water and let them dry.

I did the same with the flowers from my grandmother's bouquet for her diamond wedding anniversary and they sit on my dressing table. Just removed them from water and kept them in a dry room until they were completely dried out and then put them in a small vase.

My condolences on your loss.

[rowanwitch]

I've dried roses that way too but they keep their shape and colour better with the borax method......and with only a couple it might be worth the extra effort...

[tamborine]

drop the flowers into deep plastic container & cover with white washing powder - leave overnight for moisture to be absorbed. Re-use washing powder :)

[Spreeny]

Thank you all very much x