What is a preserved flower

What is a preserved flower

It is often misunderstood as “blizzard flower” or “blizzard flower”, but “preserved flower” is the official name.

Preserved flowers are flowers that have been processed so that fresh flowers can be preserved for a long time.
Fresh flowers begin to wither in a few days, and the beauty of their appearance is impaired, but if they are “preserved flower” can maintain their beauty for up to 5 to 10 years.
Preserved flowers have the freshness and softness of the texture, which is comparable to fresh flowers, but there is no allergy because there is no pollen.
In addition, the color of the preserved flower can be colored as you like and it is lighter than a fresh flower, so it is used as a bouquet or as a visitor flower.

Difference from dried flower

Preserved flowers and dried flowers are both flowers that are processed from fresh flowers so that they can be enjoyed for a long time. However, the method of making and the appearance are different.

▶Preserved flower

How to make:

After removing pigment and water, let the flower absorb the liquid containing moisturizing ingredients and pigment

Lifespan:

Average: 3-5year

Feature:

Can be colored to your liking, and can reproduce colors that do not exist in nature

The appearance is close to fresh flowers, colorful, fresh and soft

No scent or pollen

 

▶Dried flowers

How to make:

Natural drying

Lifespan:

Average: 2-3 months

At most about one year

Feature:

The color of the original flower or a brownish color of the original color

Flowers and leaves are dry and crisp

The scent remains

 

In humans, preserved flowers are embalming and dried flowers are mummies.

 

How to make preserved flowers

[Things to prepare]

• Scissors
• tweezers
• Rubber gloves(Let’s avoid it because it will soak into gloves)(If you work for a long time, avoid PVC rubber gloves.)
• Bottle with lid x 2(It is a container for putting flowers, decoloring, dehydrating and coloring)
• Protective eyewear
• newspaper
• Kitchen paper
• Rubbing alcohol
• ink(Use water-soluble inks and dyes. Fountain pen ink is recommended)
• Glycerin
• desiccant

Production process

① Cut the stem

I recommend 2 ~ 3㎝ which is easy to arrange. If the flowers are not in good condition, they will not be able to suck up the liquid later. It is a good idea to cut the stem diagonally so that a lot of liquid can be sucked from the stem. At this time, please say “water draining” and cut the stem in the water. Draining can keep the flowers in better condition.

② Dehydrate flowers

Soak the flowers in alcohol. Please work with rubber gloves and safety glasses in a well-ventilated room. Put the alcohol in a jar with a lid and put the flowers there. If it comes up, drop it off with aluminum foil or the like and cover it so that it can be completely soaked. Leave the lid on for at least one day as the alcohol will evaporate. If it is not completely dehydrated, the period during which beauty can be maintained will be shortened, so be sure to repeat this process even if it is not colored.

When the calyx is bleached white, the process is complete.

* The length of this process depends on the size of the flower

* Care must be taken because the process is prone to uneven color.

③ Color the flower

Put glycerin and ink in a 2: 1 ratio in a jar with a lid, and make a colored liquid (make up the amount of the whole flower soaked). Take out the decolorized flower with tweezers and soak it in the coloring liquid. At this time, the flowers are in a very delicate state, so be very careful when handling them. Also, if possible, slowly drop the alcohol and soak it in the coloring liquid so that the alcohol does not enter the coloring liquid. Let’s soak while watching it until it dyes the color you like.

* If air enters between the petals, it will cause unevenness, so soak the whole well

④Dry

Once you have the color you like, pull it out of the coloring solution. Gently wipe off the excess coloring liquid with kitchen paper and put the flowers in a container containing a desiccant. Natural drying is also possible. It is not recommended to use a drier or the like because the strong hot wind may cause the petals to be scattered or the petals torn. Please dry it in a shade and airy place as much as possible.