| My edelweiss plant has beautiful flowers. How can I preserve some of them? Should they be pressed or hung to dry? |
| A quick look through some reference books on preserving and drying flowers did not yield any instructions particularly for edelweiss, but whether that is because it is an unusual bloom or because it does not dry well I am not sure. Many of the sturdy traditional everlasting flowers such as gomphrena and statice dry well when hung, but more delicate flowers tend to do better either pressed or dried in silica. Pressing does flatten the bloom and limits the uses for it afterwards; it also works best on the smaller, thinner more papery blooms or petals. You might experiment by air drying a few, pressing a few, and preserving a few in silica and see which result you prefer. Silica can usually be found where dried flower arranging specialty supplies are sold. Good luck with your project! |
