Preserve flowers with quick methods: use epoxy resin, wax, microwave, and glycerin!

The first seasonal flowers such as peonies, freesias, carnations and hydrangeas are already busy blooming and are pleasing to the eye with their magnificent colors and blossoms. What a pity that most of the flowers wither relatively quickly. If only you could enjoy them longer… But you can actually do that by preserving the flowers. And we’re not talking plain hairspray. There are other, much more reliable ways to preserve your loved ones.

Preparing the flowers

No matter which of the methods below you choose, the preparation is always the same and should be followed to keep the buds really nice.

• Cut the flowers as soon as possible before use so that they are as fresh as possible.
• The best time of day for open flowers is in the morning.
• If you also want to use buds (e.g. in an arrangement in epoxy resin), choose the evening for cutting.

Preserving fresh flowers – Here’s how it works:

Preserve flowers with glycerin

A good variant for preserving flowers is glycerin. It is also very popular for roses. This is sugar alcohol that you can buy at the pharmacy. The durability is achieved by the fact that it has the ability to bind moisture. This article will tell you how to use glycerin correctly.

Eternal durability in epoxy resin

There are flowers whose leaves fall off quickly when you dry them. Sealing them in epoxy instead can prevent this problem. Because once the resin has hardened, everything in it stays in place. You will receive a unique decoration that you can look at for a lifetime. But how is it done?

• blossoms
• Silicone molds for casting
• epoxy resin
• Sealant for dried flowers
• wooden stick
• optional: glitter

Cut off the stems completely from the freshly collected flowers. But leave the part with the ovary intact, because this holds the petals together. Mist the flowers with the spray and prepare the resin. Pour a layer into the first mold and place a flower (or several smaller ones) in it upside down. Gently and gently push the flower into the resin.

Then fill the mold with more resin. With a wooden stick, this can be better distributed around the flower. Cover the bloom completely with the resin, then let it cure according to the package directions.

tips:

• Usually such works of art are made with dried flowers. You could also preserve your buds this way first and then proceed with the resin. So if you want to preserve pressed flowers, this is a perfect choice.
• As long as the synthetic resin is still liquid, you can also sprinkle glitter on it.

Here you can read how you can even preserve dandelions with epoxy resin.

Preserving flowers – Instructions for the microwave

Drying is a popular method of preserving real flowers. However, this also takes a long time, because it takes time for all the moisture to evaporate from pressing and drying. The microwave is the perfect alternative if you want to go a little faster and preserve just a few flowers. However, the flower does not retain its three-dimensional shape because it is pressed. How to do it:

Take four sheets of kitchen paper and heavy, microwave-safe weights. This can be a plate and a bowl or ceramic tiles – the heavier the better. Distribute the blossoms on the paper and make sure that you place them the way you want them to be in the end. Place kitchen paper on top again and the papers with the flowers between the chosen objects to press.

Set the device to medium wattage and heat the buds for a minute and a half. Take them out and check if they are still wet. If so, replace the paper with dry paper, let the tile/bowl/plate etc. cool (and dry if they are damp) and repeat the process.

Such dried flowers look very nice between two framed panes of glass.

Preserve flowers with wax

Wax is another option, but there is a risk that the buds will lose their color. If that doesn’t bother you, you can try it right away. It is important that the flower has already opened well so that it retains its shape. How to work with wax:

• white wax granules or leftover candles
• 2 old glasses
• Chopsticks for stirring (e.g. popsicle sticks or skewers)
• paper tape
• Pot

Heat the wax in a glass in a saucepan (bain-marie) over medium-high heat, stir from time to time and make sure that it does not start to boil (preferably choose a lower level). Meanwhile, stick the paper tape over the opening of the other jar in a grid pattern. Once the wax has melted, take it off the heat and let it cool down a bit.

Now dip one flower upside down into the wax and place it in the other prepared jar. The tape is used to help the flowers stand up straight and dry. If the wax is still too hot when you dip it, the flower will contract and lose its beautiful shape.