 Keep the Beauty of Valentine's
Day All Year Long
by 1-800-Flowers.com
(ARA) - In addition to their
romantic role as a traditional Valentine’s Day token of
affection, roses are a classic symbol of love and beauty. Red
roses, the official flower of love, and the most popular flower
exchanged on Valentine’s Day, is representative of romantic
love. However, roses in other colors, which bear less romantic
meanings, such as yellow, pink, peach and white, are becoming
increasingly popular each year.
No matter what color roses you
receive this Valentine’s Day, the floral experts at 1-800-Flowers.com
offer the following tips for drying your flowers and making the
love last long past the holiday.
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The easiest method is air-drying.
Roses can be dried individually or in small bunches. Remove leaves
from stems and make sure that they are bunched loosely and that
there is enough air circulating throughout the bunch. Hang the
rose bunches upside down in a dark, dry, warm room. When the
stems are dry and rigid (which should take about one to two weeks),
the flowers are ready to be stored or used.
Another method to dry your roses
is to press them. Weight pressing is a simple way to preserve
individual or small bunches of roses. Simply place roses (whole
buds or just the petals) between the pages of a heavy book. You
may want to line the pages with wax paper to protect the book.
Close the book and place something heavy on top. After two or
three weeks, the flowers will be ready to be stored or used. |
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Once your roses are dried, they
can be used in a myriad of different ways. Whether you simply
use the leaves as potpourri, or you use the full blooms to create
an elegant arrangement, your Valentine’s Day roses will
last for the remainder of the year. For an elegant look, place
your roses, along with some floral accents, between two panes
of clear glass and frame them. Flowers such as statice, strawflowers,
larkspur, delphinium, safflower, baby’s breath, and mimosa
are also ideal for drying and will make beautiful accents to
your dried roses. |
