Drying Rose Petals for Crafts and Decorations

Why dried roses are worth the effort

A garden rose lasts perhaps a week in a vase, but dry it properly and it will keep its shape and colour for a year or more. For anyone who grows roses, drying is the quiet pleasure that follows the summer flush — a way of holding on to the scent of 'Gertrude Jekyll' in January, or turning a heap of fallen petals into confetti for a wedding. Old garden roses and heavily petalled English varieties dry best, because their perfume sits in the petals rather than fading with the water. Shrub roses with looser, single flowers tend to brown and curl, though they are still useful for potpourri.

The main hurdle in the UK is our damp air. Drying failures are almost always caused by humidity rather than technique, so choose your spot carefully and be patient.

Picking and preparing roses for drying

Cut on a dry morning once the dew has lifted, and choose blooms that are just opening rather than fully blown. Avoid stems cut immediately after rain — wet petals are far more likely to go mouldy. Discard any flower with blemishes, blackspot on the leaves, or brown edges.

• Strip the lower leaves and trim off the thorns so the bunches are easy to handle.
• Gather stems into bunches of five to seven, no thicker than a 50p piece.
• Secure each bunch with a rubber band rather than string: stems shrink as they dry, and elastic keeps the bundle tight.
• Label the bunches with the variety and date if you are drying several kinds.

Air-drying whole blooms

Find a dark, airy room with a steady temperature of around 18–22°C. A spare bedroom, loft with a window cracked open, or an unused upstairs hallway works well. Avoid the kitchen, where steam from the kettle and hob ruins the process, and avoid a hot airing cupboard, which can cook the petals before they dry.

Hang the bunches upside down from a clothes line, a coat hanger, or a drying rack, spaced so the heads are not touching. Keep them out of direct sunlight, which bleaches colour and makes reds turn muddy brown. Left undisturbed, whole roses take two to three weeks. They are ready when the petals feel papery and rustle, and the stem snaps cleanly instead of bending. During a damp spell, run a dehumidifier in the room or bring the bunches somewhere warmer for a few days.

Drying petals flat for confetti and cards

Flat petals are what you want for scattering, pressing and paper crafts. Pull the petals from the flower head while the rose is still fresh, discarding the green calyx and any ragged edges.

• Loose drying: lay petals in a single layer on baking parchment or muslin over a tray, and leave them in a warm, dark, dry spot for one to two weeks. Turn them gently every few days.
• Pressed petals: place single petals between sheets of blotting paper or kitchen paper inside a heavy book, then weight it with more books. Change the paper after a week if it feels damp. Petals are flat and ready in three to four weeks.
• Small whole blooms: press entire miniature roses face down for greetings cards and framed pictures.

Quicker methods: the oven, microwave and silica gel

When time is short, these shortcuts work well. Heat the oven to its lowest setting, around 50°C, and dry petals on a lined tray with the door propped ajar, checking every 20 minutes. In the microwave, sandwich petals between two sheets of kitchen paper and give them 30-second bursts on low power, for one to three minutes in total — never walk away, as they scorch in seconds.

For whole roses, silica gel gives the finest results: petals keep their shape and colour rather than collapsing. Bury the blooms in a lidded box of silica crystals, leave for two to three days, then brush them clean with a soft artist's brush. It is worth the expense for a handful of special flowers.

Storing and using your dried roses

Keep dried petals in airtight glass jars in a dark cupboard, adding a small silica sachet to guard against damp. Stored this way they hold their colour for about twelve months. Whole blooms should sit in a single layer in a tissue-lined box so the heads do not crush.

• Confetti: use petals only — the calyx and any seed are sharp underfoot, and many venues ask for natural petal confetti rather than paper.
• Potpourri: blend petals with dried lavender, a spoonful of orris root powder as a fixative, and a few drops of rose or geranium oil. Seal in a jar for a fortnight to let the scent settle.
• Cards and tags: attach pressed petals with a dab of PVA or a glue stick, then seal with a thin layer of clear craft glue if the card will be handled.
• Table decorations: scatter petals along a linen runner, layer whole dried roses in a glass bowl or apothecary jar, or wire small blooms onto a wreath or garland for Christmas.

Do keep dried arrangements well away from candles and open fires — they are tinder-dry and catch in an instant. Used with care, a summer's roses will carry you through the darkest months, and there is something quietly satisfying about filling a jar with petals you grew yourself.