Inspired by Henry Francis du Pont’s love of flowers, Winterthur’s Dried-Flower Tree is a phenomenon of color, texture, and floral artistry. Thousands of brillant spring and summer blooms are perfectly preserved throughout the year, reprising their roles each holiday season to delight spellbound visitors.
To create the “largest bouquet” ever made at Winterthur, we chose a wide variety of flowers and plant material from the Winterthur cutting gardens and fields and used two methods of drying: silica gel and hanging.
Silica Gel
One method for drying flower heads calls for “flower dri” (silica gel). Silica gel is a desiccant, a substance that has a great affinity for water; it rapidly absorbs moisture from flowers. The white powder has small blue crystals and is reusable indefinitely. As the powder absorbs moisture, the blue crystals turn pink, indicating that they can absorb no more moisture. Simply put silica gel in a 350-degree oven for an hour or so and the crystals will turn blue and be ready for another use.
General considerations with this method of drying:
- All flowers should be absolutely fresh.
- Dry flowers in several stages of bloom: buds, partially open, fully open, and some with foliage.
- Before drying, flowers must be wired since they become fragile once dried.
- Put similar types of plant material in the same box.
- Flowers shrink when dried and many also darken.
- Small, fragile flowers will take two or three days to dry.
- Most will take five to seven days.
- If the material feels slightly limp, it is not dry. Bury in the gel for several more days.
Steps to follow:
- Cut off flower heads.
- Insert wire through the center of the flower, loop, pull down through the flower head so that the head is secure.
- Place two inches flower dri in bottom of pan.
- Place flower head “heads up” in flower dri.
- Pour flower dri over flower heads and between each layer of petals. Cover completely.
- For long stems such as snapdragon and delphinium, place horizontally on flower dri. Cover completely.
- Cover and seal flowers in airtight pan.
- Mark flower type on pan.
- Allow ample time for flowers to dry.
- When flowers are dry, remove carefully. Gently pull flower heads up while dusting off flower dri.
- Store in covered box.
- Mark flower type on box.
Hanging Method
A second method of drying is hanging flowers in small bunches until dry.
Experience the beauty of Winterthur’s Dried-Flower Tree during Yuletide, and join us next year for an exciting lineup of floral classes and workshops!