QuestionI'm from Tulsa, Oklahoma and I recently received some beautiful calla lilies from a friend. I was wondering if there is any way to dry or otherwise preserve them. Any advice?
AnswerI don't suppose those Calla Lilies were caught in a bouquet thrown by the Bride at the Wedding?
This question comes up a lot around this time of year -- like clockwork, Chelsea! Callas are a popular bouquet flower these days. There are many ways to accomplish what you're asking.
The freeze-drying method is the most effective way to preserve most flowers. Services abound on the internet and seem to specialize in bridal bouquets, targeting women who have just spent a bundle on a dress and the biggest party of their lives and won't mind the premium-priced services that are a drop in the bucket by comparison. This system simultaneously dries and freezes a cut bloom at temperatures around minus 40 degrees F. This is of course a service that uses special equipment (starting at $20K and up) you probably do not have access to.
The next-best drying technique involves use of Borax. Cut flowers are laid, one stem at a time, in an inch of household borax, then covered completely with borax. The container is left in a warm, dark, dry area for 10 days, then lifted carefully to avoid breakage, and brushed gently with an artist's paintbrush to remove all traces of powder. They are very fragile at this point.
Silica gel is also sold for this purposes at crafts stores. Flowers are placed on to of a 1-inch layer of silica in a microwave-safe container, then sprinkled, as described above, but with silica gel instead of Borax. The container is placed in a microwave oven and "cooked" for about 3 minutes. At the end of the microwave cycle, the silica has changed from blue to rose-gray, an effect caused by the silica absorbing moisture. the flowers are left to cool for one day. Finally, they are removed and a small brush is used to brush off any residual silica. Sand is sometimes used instead of silica, but it is a heavy medium; flowers dried in sand are more prone to damage.
Some people dry flowers in their microwave oven, lieing them face up between layers of paper towels under the "Defrost" cycle for 3 minutes. This is a fine technique for some flowers and not for others.
There is another method that really involves a vase of water placed in the dark, flowers standing in the vase, in a warm closet. After water evaporates, the flowers are dried. This method is popular with Hydrangeas.
Some flowers can be dipped in melted paraffin, then chilled in the refrigerator. These flowers are stronger than some other methods, but there is a distinct look to them that some people love and some do not care for.
Please let me know, Chelsea, if you need a better description of any of these methods. There are some good illustrated books as well.
Meanwhile, thank you for writing.
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Just to add one book on this subject that looks very good: "Harvesting, Preserving & Arranging Dried Flowers". The Table of Contents and Index do not cover Callas specifically, but there is a good chapter on Glycerine, another on microwaings and a few on drying techniques. It was highly rated on the Amazon.com website - and there are not a lot of books on this subject worth carrying.
