Dry flowers are a long-lasting way to add some color and beauty to your house, and making them is very simple! Dry flowers can be made into wreaths, or placed in a vase as a decorative focal point. Here are some tips and techniques for drying flowers.

Air-drying method of drying flowers

1. Bunch flowers of the same kind together, tying them with string. Try to pick several different varieties.

2. Strip off the lower leaves, but keep the leaves near the head.

3. Hang your flowers upside-down from a clothes rod, coat hanger or anywhere that you have space. A closet is ideal. Make sure the flowers are not touching each other, and also make sure that they will not be disturbed often. If you can keep them in a shaded, dark location, better still.

4. It takes approximately two to four weeks for the flowers to fully dry. Dried flowers are delicate. When you arrange them, make sure you are very gentle.

Take a variety of flowers and tie them into an attractive arrangement with a ribbon, placing in a small vase. This makes an instant, easy gift.

Another way to dry flowers is to use a dessicant, or drying arrangement. This is a little less simple, but preserves the blossoms better.

Dessicant method for drying flowers

1. Line a box with silica gel, fine sand or borax.

2. Place the heads of the flowers face-down in the box. Gently cover more of your drying material (sand, etc.) over the heads until they are covered. You are essentially burying the flowers head-down.

3. Place the box in a dry, warm area for two weeks.

Some additional tips:

● Don’t use fully opened flowers.

● You can spray your flowers with hairspray to protect them further.

● Choose only the best flowers, to avoid preserving imperfections.

We hope you have fun with your dried flower arrangements!

Roses are not just for Valentine’s Day anymore! In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation that name the rose as the United States national flower. Since every state had already adopted a flower as its emblem, the United States needed one as well.

Ronald Reagan’s proclamation explains the choice of the rose. This flower has long been a symbol for “life and love and devotion, of beauty and eternity.” All of these ideas are fundamental elements of the United States.

The United States has gone through many troubles, and yet has weathered its storms as a nation. The USA is a land rich in natural beauty, with the vast majority of its people decent, kind-hearted souls. There is no other flower that sums up the character of this nation so well. The rose’s many different colors and varieties can be said to symbolize the many different types and races of people who populate the USA’s land.

Roses have grown in the United States for millennia; archaeological evidence suggests that the plant may be as much as 35 million years old! George Washington, the first president, had a rose garden and a variety he bred and named for his mother, the Mary Washington Rose is grown to this day. There is an extensive rose garden at the White House, and some of the state capitols maintain rose gardens as well (one example is the International World Peace Rose Garden in Sacramento, California).

While not every rose grows everywhere, roses are cultivated in all fifty states, making the flower a fitting symbol for a diverse, though unified, country. Other countries have used the rose as a symbol of unity, and so it is in the United States. The rose is the perfect national flower for the diverse, beautiful, loving USA.

Send Roses from daFlores.com today!

Roses have been around for many generations. During the Medieval Period, they were used for tea and other medicinal purposes. Many rose gardens were even used as a form of defense against invaders. By the 18th century, they were used romantically as courtship gifts, as chivalrous men send roses with white color to symbolize true love. But as time passed, red ones replaced it as a universal symbol of passionate love, while the white rose had become associated with innocence. Read the rest of this entry »

Birthdays are very personal and important occasions.For that reason the birthday flowers you send should have your personal touch. As much as a flower delivery puts a smile on their faces, adding your ideas to it will make the flowers even more special. Read the rest of this entry »

Online flower delivery service daFlores.com recently gained its 30,000th fan on the social media site Facebook. The company's Facebook fan page gives customers a place to comment on the company and talk about the products. Read the rest of this entry »

Each culture has its own rules on Flower Meanings, so be sure you know what you're saying and to whom Read the rest of this entry »