Care for Dried Flowers

How to Care for Dried Flowers:

• Avoid placing them in humid environments
• Do not water them
• Keep them out of direct sunlight
• Avoid exposure to direct air-conditioning or heating
• Don’t transport or move them excessively

How long do dried flowers last?

If properly cared for, dried flowers can last up to five years. Some florists even claim that some dried specimens can even last multiple decades if sealed and stored.

Their ultra-long-lasting nature makes them a very economical option compared to fresh flowers, which last no more than 10 days. However, dried flowers are more fragile than fresh blooms, and therefore must be treated with the utmost care and diligence to maximise their lifespan.

Your dried and preserved flowers longevity largely depends on the quality of the blooms, as well as how you tend to them, which is what you’ll be learning today.

How do I care for dried flowers?

Here are our top tips for caring for dried and preserved flowers.

Avoid humidity

Moulding is one fear that many dried flower owners have. To avoid your dried blooms becoming mouldy, they must be kept in a mild, dry environment, away from humidity.

This rules out having your arrangement in places such as right next to the oven or next to the shower or bath. They are instead better suited to drier areas such as living areas, bedrooms and hallways.

Do not water

This may seem quite obvious, but seriously – don’t water your dried flowers. As opposed to fresh flowers, which require maintained moisture and watering to optimise their lifespan.

Watering dried flowers will increase moisture and may lead to moulding, severely reducing their longevity.

Keep them out of direct sunlight and bright light

Make sure to keep your arrangement out of direct sunlight and bright light to avoid fading and damage.

In our experience, dried flowers left in direct light tend to lose their shape and form, with leaves and blooms starting to separate and drop off from the rest of the stems.

Gently dust them

Just like anything in your house, your dried flowers may start to accumulate some light dust and grime over time.

When you do your regular cleans, ensure you give your arrangement a light dust with a soft feather duster to remove any collected residues. Make sure to keep it light-handed, as your blooms are quite fragile and don’t like excessive handling.

Avoid direct air-conditioning or heating

Another thing to be wary of is the effect that direct airflow can have on your blooms. Because dried flowers have had the moisture taken out of them, they are particularly light and fragile.

Exposing your arrangement to direct air-conditioning, heating or wind can cause unwanted vibration and movement, damaging your blooms slowly over time. Make sure you steer clear of these.

Spray them with Hairspray

Many dried flower suppliers will spray their everlasting florals with hairspray, as this can help them hold up better over time, as well as decrease the degree of colours fading.

Before doing this yourself, ask your supplier whether they have already done so. If not, lightly spray the blooms with hairspray to coat them in the protective lacquer.

Alternatively, you can purchase a flower sealer which is specifically designed for fragile items such as dried flowers.

Take care when moving or changing your dried flowers

As we have mentioned, dried flowers are very light and delicate. Try to avoid transporting and moving them around excessively. If you are wanting to play around with the look of the arrangement, do so carefully or contact us as we can swap out some dull stems for new ones.