Do Not Freeze Your Flowers!!
Exposing Floral Preservation Myths!!
Recently, a sweet bride dropped off her bouquet at my studio for preservation. She
didn’t know what to do with it and thought the best thing to do would
be to place it in the freezer. She was devastated to learn that that
was the WORST thing to do. By the time she arrived with her flowers, they were
beginning to thaw and were a sticky, gloppy, stinky mess. They were
ruined. She left in tears and I had a few tears of my own, disappointed
for her. Fortunately, her florist re-created the bouquet for her and I preserved it into beautiful heirloom art.
Roses, Orchids and other Flowers, ruined by freezing the bouquet. This
bouquet was ruined by placing it in a refrigerator that was too cold.
After a quick combing of the net, I found many articles about how to
preserve your own bouquet.....and all of them were wrong. One was even
titled, “How to Preserve Your Bouquet by Freezing It”. Another was
titled, “How To Freeze a Live Flower So You Don’t Have to Keep It In A
Vase”. Now really, who would want to keep it in a vase and enjoy it
when you could stick it in the freezer? And what happens to your
beautiful flower if the electricity fails or you move?
I will tell
you... your flowers thaw into a glop of goo, hardly the sweet flower you
remember.
Inside a gooey, gloppy mess of a frozen bouquet
Preserving your bouquet, with hair spray is another misnomer. Often,
you will see articles about spraying your bouquet with hair spray or
lacquer before hanging it upside down in a closet. There are many
flowers that will dry upside down, others that will not. Hair
spray/Lacquer can seal the moisture into the flowers, causing them to
mold and mildew, turning brown and black. It is not pretty. Also, hair
spray is sticky, which becomes a magnet to dust and dirt.
Dried Red Roses....or maybe pink?....or white?
One mother, frantically called me because she tried the “drying upside down” technique while her daughter was on her honeymoon and it molded and turned black and literally began dripping on the floor below. She purchased new flowers and I recreated the bouquet, then pressed and preserved it. And, no, I will not tell who it was! My lips are sealed because somewhere in America, there is a mother breathing a sigh of relief that her daughter never found out that mom ruined her bouquet.
(Being a mom, myself, I am bound by the Mother’s Seal of Honor)
Dipping your flowers in wax is something I came across on Pinterest. There is no follow up video, but I would imagine that the flowers fell off the stems, seeping an icky nastiness. Wax seals in the moisture. If the moisture cannot escape, then the petals begin to mold.
Another idea I saw on Pinterest was to hot glue fresh flowers into a shadowbox. NO!!! Again, if these flowers are not dry, you are asking for an ugly shadowbox of mold! If your other wedding items are also in that box, everything gets ruined!
Lastly, Do NOT press your flowers between wax paper!
This is a myth that simply will not die and is put out there time and again, by well meaning blog/article writers who don't do their homework. Wax Paper seals in the moisture when you want the moisture wicked away, not held in place! Use paper towel, kleenex, printer paper or blotter paper (do they still make that?) These will in varying degrees wick that moisture away from the flowers. If you press in a book, choose one with dull pages like a phone book instead of a book with glossy pages.
Fresh flowers being made into potpourri
I understand that not everyone can afford to have their flowers
preserved professionally. Many flowers will dry nicely when hung upside
down. Make sure you separate them and give them time to dry. You can
also make potpourri!
I have easy to follow instructions on how to make potpourri here:
http://pressedgarden.blogspot.com/search?q=potpourri
Fresh Bridal Bouquet of Sunflowers Roses, Veronica, Lisianthis and other Flowers, before preservation.
If you do choose to have Pressed Garden preserve your flowers, bring
them to me as fresh as possible. Trim the stems and keep them in clean,
fresh water. If you do place them in a refrigerator, keep it away from
spots that typically freeze lettuce. Temps around 45 degrees are best.
And above all... DO NOT FREEZE THEM!!!
Bridal bouquet, after being pressed and preserved by Pressed Garden!
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and on Pinterest at: https://www.instagram.com/pressedgarden/
