How to Dry Rose Petals

Poets have spent their lives dreaming about the ethereal beauty of the rose. Roses, however, can also have a practical use--and dried rose petals in particular can be transformed into many wonderful things. They provide an intoxicating fragrance to potpourri and satin sachets, add color to indoor decorations and create romantic confetti for weddings. On top of all that, the process of drying the roses is actually quite simple. See Step 1 to begin.

Edit Steps

Edit Part One: Selecting the Petals

Choose fresh roses in full bloom. You can harvest flowers that you want to dry at anytime during the growing season, but keep in mind that when they are at their biggest and brightest, they will also smell their best. Avoid picking any roses that have browning petals--they will become fully brown when they dry.

Wait for the perfect time of day to pick your roses. This period of time is after the dew has dried, but before the midday sun has reached its strongest rays. Rose petals with any sort of moisture on them could potentially turn brown when dried because they will begin to rot. The hours before the midday sun produce are when most roses produce their strongest fragrance.^[1]

Free the petals from the stems by using scissors to snip around the base of the rose petals. Be sure to cut around the entire flower. You can also pluck the petals by gently pulling each one from the base of the stems.

Edit Part Two: Drying the Petals

Edit Method One: Air Drying Roses

Place the petals on a drying sheet. A mesh screen such as an old window or a flat metal strainer from your kitchen will work well. Make sure that the petals are in a single layer and that none of them are overlapping. If they overlap while they are drying, they will stick together and you will have to break them apart later.^[2]

Place the petals where they will get a lot of air. The best place to put your petals is on flat surface out of direct sunlight that has constant air circulation. Placing petals directly in the sun will cause them to become brittle so avoid doing this. Avoid putting the petals in a damp area, as moisture in the air could cause them to rot.

Turn your petals over several times. Air drying generally takes a couple of weeks. During those weeks, you should turn your petals over at least once a week. Rotating your petals will ensure that both sides of each petal will get enough air exposure.^[3]

Remove them from the drying sheet. Only remove the petals after they have become crispy (almost the texture of corn flakes.) If they are not fully dry when you store them, they will begin to get moldy.

Edit Method Two: Using a Microwave

Line a microwave safe plate with a double layer of paper towels. Once you have done this, place the petals you would like to dry on the paper towels. Make sure that they are in a single layer without any overlapping petals. The petals will dry together if they are overlapping and will rip if you try to pull them apart.^[4]

Cover the petals. Once you have laid the petals in a single layer, cover them with another layer of paper towels. Place another plate on top of all of this so that it acts as a lid for the bottom plate.

Place this stack of plates in the microwave. Heat on high until the petals are no longer damp to the touch, approximately 40 seconds. Microwave ovens tend to vary, so you may have to experiment to find the correct length of time for drying the rose petals.^[5]

Test the petals for dryness. After the allotted amount of microwaving time, lift the top plate and layer of paper towels. The petals should feel dry but not crispy. If the petals still feel damp, place them back in the microwave and continue to ‘cook’ them.

Remove the petals from the microwave. If you wish to make them crispier, spread the petals onto paper towels arranged on a flat surface. Choose a drying location away from breezes, moisture, light and dust.

Edit Method Three: Using a Dehydrator

Place the rose petals in your dehydrator. Make sure they are not overlapping. Depending on the type of dehydrator you use, the drying process could take a couple of hours (like if you use an Excalibur,) or a whole day (if you use a Nesco 600-watt machine.) However long it takes, you house will be filled with the wonderful fragrance of the roses.^[6]

Set your dehydrator to the lowest possible setting. It is important to set it low because otherwise your roses could burn.

Leave the rose petals until they are dry. As stated above, this can take a couple of hours or a whole day. When they are done, they should have a texture similar to corn flakes or very thin potato chips.

Edit Method four: Using a book

Open the book.

Put the petals inside it (make sure they are in a single layer.)

Close the book (mention not to fold the petals.)

Wait about two weeks or more and without using energy for your dry petals.

Edit Part Three: Using and Storing Dried Roses

Store dried rose petals in coffee cans, tin cans or glass jars. The preserved flowers can be stored that way for extended periods. Make sure the storage containers seal tightly to prevent insects from entering and eating the petals. Do not store them in direct sunlight.

Decide which way you want to use your rose petals. There are endless amount of options. Use them in your wedding, create a sensual experience, or add them to potpourri or try one of the following.

Add rose petals to your favorite drink. Enhance a rose cocktail, create a festive rose petal punch, or indulge in some refreshing rosewater.

Get artsy and add rose petals to your crafts. Create necklace out of rose petal beads, or make your own unique scent with rose petal perfume.

Add some flower to your food. Try rose petal sandwiches. Get rustic by making your own rose petal jam, or make frosted rose petals to add to a cake.

Edit Tips

Remember to routinely check the dried rose petals in your storage containers for insects. If you find an infestation, throw out the preserved flowers and thoroughly wash the container before you use it again.

Collect more rose petals than you will need. That will guarantee a sufficient supply of eye-appealing petals for your ultimate goal even if some become damaged during the drying process.

Remember that most flowers tend to darken with drying. Keep this in mind if the preserved flowers will be used in decorations with a specific color scheme.