Drying and pressing flowers is a great way to save a special bouquet and also a lovely hobby. With dried flowers, you can fill your life and your home with the lasting beauty of nature. To help you along the way to becoming a flower preservation expert, our Tulsa florists at Mary Murray’s Flowers put together this quick list of some of the best flowers for drying and the best flowers for pressing.

Dried Pink Roses

Our Favorite Flowers to Dry

Dried flowers are lovely displayed as bouquets in vases or used to create floral wreaths. Plus, you can dry just about any type of flower. Some flowers, however, will turn out much more beautiful than others with this method of preservation. Some of our favorites include:

Celosia (Cockscomb)

Celosia M

These flame-like flowers get their name from the Greek word for burning, and their fiery colors stay just as vibrant after being dried. With a feather-like texture, celosia adds lovely color and visual dynamic to a dried floral arrangement.

Strawflower

Pink Strawflower

Strawflowers appear to have millions of petals that burst from flower centers that are gradients brighter than the edges. These lovely blooms come in a rainbow of vibrant colors and don’t lose an ounce of beauty during the drying process.

Statice

Statice

Statice is one of the most popular types of flowers to dry. They bloom in clusters of small flowers that remain vibrant and fairly sturdy when dry. Plus, they’re available in a wide variety of hues.

Our Favorite Flowers to Press

Unlike drying, not all flowers should be pressed. Flowers with thicker blooms, in particular, don’t fare as well. When it comes to pressing, these types of flowers usually need to be split in half. For example, we don’t recommend pressing multi-petal roses or globe thistles because they come out with a fairly squashed appearance. If you want to press flowers for a scrapbook or botanical frame, try these:

Pansies

Purple and Yellow Pansies

Pansies are flower pressing favorite because their naturally flat blooms don’t lose much of their shape or color in a flower press. These beauties have four upward and one downward petal and come in all sorts of beautiful color combinations.

Violets

Violets

Violets have faces that are shaped similarly to pansies, but they have three petals pointing upward and two pointing downward. Plus, they’re usually combinations of violet and either white or yellow. Given their shape and pretty appearance, they’re a great choice for pressing.

Shrub Roses

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While multi-petal rose varieties don’t press well, the thinner-profiled shrub or wild roses press very well. These delicate beauties will brighten up any art you make with pressed flowers.

How to Safeguard Your Preserved Flowers

Just because your beautiful floral bouquet has been dried or pressed doesn’t mean it’s invincible. In fact, dried flowers are quite delicate and brittle. They’re also susceptible to fading from the sun and rot, if there’s too much moisture in the air. You can protect yours flowers by fortifying them with a few coats of hairspray. Use an unscented variety and be sure to spray from a safe distance where the blast of hairspray won’t damage the flowers.

Bouquet of Dried Flowers in Glass Vase

For more flower-saving inspiration and recommendations on the best bouquets for drying and pressing, we welcome you to stop by Mary Murray’s Flowers.

Midnight Glow