DIY Flower Drying Guide
If you are interested in a custom order with JoCo Candles and will be drying/pressing your flowers yourself, here is a really simple guide to help you - and the good news is, it’s easier than you might think!
Start the drying process as soon as possible, the more mature the blooms are, the lower quality they may be when dried or pressed.
Air drying flowers (suitable for the dried flower bottle candle holders)
Air drying is the easiest, traditional and most eco-friendly way of drying your blooms. This method takes two to three weeks but you’re letting nature do the work!
Pick out as many flowers as you can for drying as there will always be some stems that go brown or are damaged. I recommend drying at least 15 stems per bottle candle holder so have a think about how many you are planning to order
Strip any excess leaves from the flowers
To help your flowers retain as much colour as possible during the drying process, keep them out of direct sunlight
Around the stem of each individual flower, or in small bouquets, tie some string or a rubber band around them
Find a dark, dry area with good circulation e.g. a closet or dark bedroom
Using some string, secure the bottom of flowers’ stems to a hanger or some hooks so that they are hanging upside down to dry
Leave the flowers for two to three weeks until they look and feel dry, have a feel in the centre of the flowers too to make sure they are completely dry in the middle.
Get back in touch with pictures of your dried flowers and to place your order.
Once you’ve placed your order you will be sent the shipping address. Take the flowers down and get them ready to send! Package them up securely wrapped in bubble wrap or kitchen towel and place them in a hard carboard delivery box (so they don’t get squashed in shipping). Tip: Make sure you put in lots of packaging material so the flowers are secure and they don’t move around too much in the box, this will limit any damage occurring to the flowers in shipping.
Don’t forget to add your name and order number in and/or on the box so I know the flowers are yours!
Please note, if there are any spare flowers they will not usually be returned to the customer due to the space in the shipping box, but this can be requested for an additional postage fee. Leftover flowers are only kept for two weeks after an order has been shipped.
Air drying flowers, suitable for the dried flower bottle candle holders
Pressing flowers (suitable for the pressed flower candles)
Make sure your flowers are completely dry before you press them (i.e. there should be no dew or water droplets on them).
The flatter flowers press the best so try and choose the flattest ones you have. For bulkier flowers such as roses, press the individual petals rather than the whole flower. Select flowers that are also relatively small so that they will fit in the candles (ideally no more than 7cm in height and diameter).
Press as many flowers are possible so that the best ones can be used in the candles. I recommend pressing at least 5 flowers per candle so have a think about how many candles you wanted to order.
Place your selected flowers between 2 sheets of parchment paper, blotting paper, coffee filters or thin card. The paper is used to absorb excess moisture from the flowers as they dry out.
Arrange the flowers so that none of them overlap
Set the sheets between the pages of a heavy book that is large enough to completely cover the flowers (make sure you use a book that you won’t need for a couple of weeks!
Stack a couple more heavy books on top to provide extra weight to keep the flowers pressing as flat as possible (you could also use other heavy items)
Leave the flowers to press for 1 to 2 weeks to allow them to dry out. Set yourself a reminder to check how they’re pressing after a week or so. Once they’re pressed, they should feel completely dry and the petals should feel a bit like tissue paper. If it still feels like there’s moisture, carefully shut them back in the book and continue pressing them.
Once the flowers are pressed, they’re ready to send! Keep them in the paper and tape some cardboard either side or send them in a Do Not Bend envelope to stop them being bent in transit.
Flower pressing, suitable for pressed flower container candles.
If you have any more questions, please just get in touch.