Dried flowers are everywhere lately, popping up on our socials and search engines.
We are seeing more dried blooms in people’s homes, offices and at weddings than ever before - and there’s a good reason why!
Dried flowers are a significant investment and are more sustainable than fresh flowers.
They are very accessible from online stores, flower markets and local florists.
You may wonder why I want to spend a few hundred dollars on flowers that won’t last. But they do.
How Long Do Dried Flowers Last?
When kept out of direct sunlight, wind and humidity, dried flowers last for 1 to 5 years. Caring for your dried flowers can preserve their lifespan even longer.
Dried florals are a great alternative to fresh flowers that only last a week or ten days.
They can look as beautiful or even better than fresh blooms that cost you at least $30 for a decent bunch.
Fresh flowers may seem cheaper, but they often wilt quickly and require maintenance, such as changing the water and trimming the stems.
Choosing pricier but longer-lasting flowers can save you the hassle and worry of constantly tending to them.
Perhaps you usually purchase fresh flowers every week, only to watch them slowly wilt and have to be thrown away.
The dollars add up, and so does the gardening bin or compost.
So why not make the switch to dried flowers and not have to worry about them?
They are on trend and are eco-friendly. Now they’re some flowers I’d want to invest in.
Today, we’ll be answering these common questions about dried florals:
- How long do preserved and dried flowers last?
- How do I care for dried flowers?
- Do dried flowers go mouldy?
- Do dried flowers keep their colour?
How long do Dried Flowers last?
Although preserved and dried blooms last long, they don't last forever. Dried botanicals are a sustainable and affordable home, workplace or wedding option.
They have an extended shelf life and don’t require disposing of every week as fresh flowers do.
The conditions in which your dried and preserved flowers are stored will determine their lifespan, but as a general guide, dried flowers can last for many years.
Preserved flowers have a longer lifespan as they have been preserved, set in glycerin, and may have been dyed.
As long as they are cared for properly, you should get at least 1-2 years out of your dried foliage and flowers.
How do I care for Dried Flowers?
One of our favourite things about dried blooms is their low maintenance.
You don’t have to worry about changing the water and cutting the stems of the flowers (don’t even get me started on keeping house plants alive).
Our top tips for keeping your blooms looking as good as the day you got them:
- Do not water them as they don't need it.
- Handle your flowers carefully, as they are quite delicate and prone to shedding.
- Keep them out of direct sunlight, humidity and wind.
- Keep them free from dust (lightly blow with a hairdryer on cool and low).
Do Dried Flowers go mouldy?
Unfortunately, yes, they can. Your dried flowers can go mouldy if you store them incorrectly.
They are very low maintenance but can go mouldy if exposed to moist and humid environments.
We know that you may want to cover your house in dried flower arrangements (we do), but we strongly recommend keeping them out of areas prone to humidity.
These are places such as your bathroom or windowsill in the middle of winter (usually when your windows are covered in condensation).
If you want to decorate your bathroom with dried blooms, remember that they may eventually go mouldy as they cannot handle the humidity and condensation (we’ve tried it).
Do Dried Flowers lose their colour?
If stored in your home correctly, your dried flowers should retain their colour for extended. Follow our how-to-care-for-dried flowers guide to ensure your flowers stand the test of time.
After a few years, if the flowers haven’t been dyed, the colour will start to fade.
If your flowers look sad, let us know, and we can freshen them up for you and replace some sad-looking stems with beautiful, bright ones.
We have experimented with this by placing many preserved flowers on a windowsill that gets direct sunlight for most of the day.
We found that the flowers started to fade relatively quickly and almost turned into a paper-like texture.
So please keep in mind where your flowers are stored in the home.
All in all, dried florals are a significant investment. They are an affordable and sustainable choice over fresh flowers that don’t last for longer than 7-10 days.
You may pay double the price of fresh blooms, but they look incredible. And did we mention that they will last you for years?!
Have we convinced you to purchase some dried flowers for yourself or as a gift? We have a great range that is constantly being updated.
Or we can create a custom dried flower arrangement to perfectly suit your colour palette and home.