Wednesday, April 29, 2009

How do you preserve rose petals?

I have a rose bush and want to preserve the petals somehow and put them in a glass dish to save for a long long time.

How do you preserve rose petals?
I preserve my rose petals in one of two ways, depending on what I want to do with them. If I want them to retain their color and shape, I fill a glass container with drugstore glycerine and submerge the rose in it. If I want to make popurri or arrangements with them, I dry them in kitty litter. Some colors and types of roses dramatically change when dried though.
Reply:Buy a glass apothecary jar with a tight fitting lid %26amp; put them in there. My mother used to collect all of her rose petals %26amp; made potpourri with them. What a beautiful scent when she took the lid off the jar.
Reply:Ideally, you must harvest them in the morning, after they have first opened and the dew has evaporated. You then must gently pull the petals off and lay them singly on a drying screen, such as old window screens, where air can circulate all over and under them, out of direct sunlight. The amount of time it takes for the petals to become crispy-dry depends on how hot and humid your days are. But they must be crispy-dry like corn flakes or you'll risk molding. (You could dry them in a barely warm oven, but I would advise not to. It is easier and faster, but the roses will lose some of their fragrance from heating of their oils.) After completely dried, store them in tightly sealed glass jars in a dark place out of the sun or light. Properly dried and stored rose petals will retain their fragrance for a long time if not exposed to air.Twist
Reply:You need to dry them out in a flower press then. Other ways are in glycerine, or freezing.


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