Preserving roses: drying & other methods

It is possible to preserve the beauty of roses by using a variety of methods. Let us show you how to preserve roses by drying and more.

Unfortunately, roses (Rosa) only add splendour to our garden with their beautiful flowers for a few months. However, if you’d like to save your bridal bouquet or a special gift of roses, there are several ways to make the flowers last. Air drying is probably the simplest and best-known method here, but does not always achieve the desired result – after all, you want the roses to look as fresh as possible, even after a long time. How you can easily preserve roses with the help of silica gel or glycerin, for example, which we will explain in this article.

In addition to the common methods of preserving roses – like drying and candying – we will also introduce you to preservation with silica gel and glycerin.

Preserving roses by drying

Air drying is probably the best-known method of preservation for cut roses. For this, the rose is hung upside down in a dry, airy room without sunlight and later further sealed with hairspray. While this usually works very well, the flowers become very pale and brittle after drying.

Fragrant petals from rose bushes – such as those of Damascene roses (Rosa × damascena) – can also be dried for making your own tea blends. You can also use them to fill scented sachets or make your own aromatic rose salt. Rose lovers will certainly be delighted by such souvenirs.

Preserving roses with silica

A special way of preserving flowers is with silica granules, which is more commonly known to many as silica gel. This is often found in small sachets with newly purchased shoes or bags. However, you can also buy it in larger quantities at a craft store or over the Internet.

Fill a container with a sufficient number of granules and leave the rose in it for a few days. The silica gel extracts the moisture from the plant and ensures that the colour of the flowers is well preserved. In order to reuse the silica gel, you should dry it slowly in the oven at a maximum of 80 °C. A similar moisture removal effect can also be achieved using salt or laundry powder.

Preserving roses with glycerin

To permanently preserve a whole bouquet of flowers preservation with glycerol is recommended. This sugary alcohol is available in liquid form at most pharmacies. Add the glycerin to double the amount of water in a vase and mix well. Next, cut the stems of the rose diagonally and place them in the vase with the glycerol solution for one to two days. When small droplets can be seen on the petals, the rose has become saturated with glycerin and is fully preserved. You can then leave the bouquet upside down to air dry. From now on, however, the rose should not come into contact with water.

Candying rose petals

Candied rose petals are not only beautiful to look at, they are also a real delicacy in terms of taste. When the flowers are intended for consumption, the roses should, of course, not have been treated with pesticides beforehand. After harvesting, the individual petals are cut off and dipped in sugar syrup. For this, boil a cup of water mixed with a cup of sugar. Then let the syrup cool to about 60 °C before dipping the flowers in it. Then, place the flowers to dry on a tray with baking paper.

In another method, the flowers are brushed with egg white, dipped in sugar and dried in the oven at about 40 °C for about two hours. The shelf life of candied flowers depends on the moisture content. Flowers brushed with egg white should be used within a few days – those that have been dipped in sugar syrup usually keep much longer.

Pro tip: Perhaps you have also heard of wax roses? Here, the rose flower heads are dipped in hot, colorless wax and then cooled in ice water.

If you are interested in the variety of roses, stop by our dedicated article.