Drying Roses

Roses are beautiful flowers that have graced homes for literally thousands of years. Roses are flawless, colorful, large, small and simply perfect in every way, except for one: a rose, being a living thing, eventually will die.

But there are ways to let their splendor live on! Drying roses is a great way to preserve their beauty. With very little effort and very little expense, dried roses can look just as exquisite when put together in an arrangement as fresh.

Rose Drying Techniques

Air drying and sand drying are two common rose drying techniques. Air drying is easiest and requires only a good pair of shears, some wire, a coat hanger and a dark dry location. Begin by cutting the stem from the rose, as close to the head of the rose as you can get. Then insert a piece of wire about 6 or 8 inches long into the rose head.

When drying roses they need to be upside down, so take the end of one wire and wrap it around the bottom part of the hanger. Continue wrapping the wires of each rose until the hanger is full. Leave some space in between each rose head so air can circulate. Then place the hanger into a dark, dry area (an unused closet works great). It’ll take roses anywhere from 1 – 3 weeks to dry thoroughly.

Roses can also be hung in bunches upside down from a nail. Just leave stems intact, remove bottom leaves, gather a few stems together and hold with an elastic band. Place in a dark, dry area until dry.

The sand rose drying technique takes a bit more effort, but works great! You cut a rose while it’s still at its peak, and cut the stem so that about one inch remains. Make sure the leaves and stem are dry (no dew or other water). Place florist’s wire into the stem and up into the head of the flower. Next find a deep open box and begin filling it with white-colored sand until the roses can stand upright in the sand.

Next carefully begin adding sand around the base, and under and over each of the petals. The goal is to use the sand as a way to maintain the shape of the rose. Continue filling the box with sand until each rose is covered. Move sand-and-rose filled box to a drying area and leave it there for 1 – 3 weeks. Take extreme care when removing dried roses. Slowly tip the box to begin emptying sand. Grab onto each rose as it becomes free of the sand and continue until all roses are sand-free.

Roses can also be dried using wax, glycerin or a desiccant but these techniques are a bit more involved. Another popular drying method is to place a rose between the pages of a book.

Dried roses have many uses. They’re perfect in floral arrangements, decorative wreaths, wedding bouquets and favors, and framed artwork. Dried rose petals make great potpourri and confetti, too!

Tips for Exhibiting Roses

Now that you finally have a rose garden that you can be proud of, it’s time to take the next step and let others judge the beauty of your roses. Rose shows and exhibits are exciting events where you get a chance to see how your roses stack up against those from other rosarians. It doesn’t matter if you win, just the experience will teach you a lot.

Before entering your own roses, take the time to visit a few rose shows so you can see how everything works.

If at all possible, try to get permission to enter the preparation room so you can see what experienced displayers do before the judging begins.

Get a copy of the rule book from the American Rose Society. Visit their web site at www.ARS.org for information.

When you decide that you are ready to enter a show, look for one that’s close to home so you can keep your travel time and expenses to a minimum. There are plenty of exhibits that offer special judging classes for beginners, so try to find one of those.

Follow this timetable and you’ll be ready to face the judges on the day of the show:

30 days before the show

Start the process of narrowing down you choices to the rose that you will be showing. It’s easiest to start with displaying one single bloom on a stem. Be sure to select a rose with a sturdy and straight stem.

Begin preparing the rose for exhibit by cutting off all of the buds that are forming between the side of the stem and the leaf. This focuses all of the nutrients to the single bloom at the end of the stem.

Support the cane of your selected rose by staking it with a bamboo stake and some rose or twist ties. This protects the cane and helps to support the rose as it grows.

Spray fungicide when needed and promptly remove aphids and spider mites if they appear. Aphids can be removed by spritzing with soapy water. Spider mites can be lightly sprayed with plain water.

Water your roses as you normally do and apply organics and fertilizer as required.

Put together your toolkit for the day of the show. Most experienced rosarians include the following in their kits:

Several soft cloths Q-Tips Shears Plastic wrap Small, soft artist’s paintbrush ARS Rule Book

7 days before the show

Cover your selected bloom with a baggy that’s secured below the bloom with a tie at night, and remove the baggie before the sun rises in the morning. Do this every night until you leave for the show.

2 or 3 days before the show

Cut the rose following the instructions in our “Tips for cutting roses for display” article. Cut the stem a bit longer than usual because you will be re-cutting the day of the show.

Place the rose in a florist’s bucket, cover the bloom with a baggie and tie it off below the bloom. Place the bucket and rose in the refrigerator.

The morning of the show

Remove the rose from the refrigerator, place the container and rose safely in your car, grab your kit, and head for the show!