Rant: Left a flower show in Portland feeling like I've been doing silica all wrong

So last weekend I went to the Pacific Northwest Dried Flower Expo in Portland. Watched a guy demo using silica gel in a microwave and he got perfect shape retention in like 2 minutes flat. I've been air drying everything for 15 years and half my stuff comes out droopy and brown. He said air drying is fine for tough stuff like baby's breath but silica is a game changer for delicate petals like roses or peonies. My question is has anyone else switched methods after seeing a pro do it and was the cost of the silica worth it for the results?

2 comments

2 Comments

wilson.emma1mo ago

omg my friend just went through this exact thing, she spent like 60 bucks on a big container of silica after a workshop and now her dried roses look straight out of a magazine. she says it's totally worth it for the stuff you really care about but air drying is still fine for filler flowers.

skylerg171mo ago

I'm with you on the "silica is a game changer" thing. I mean, I've been air drying for years too and always thought that was the only real way to do it, but after seeing a friend blast through a whole bouquet in a microwave with that stuff, I realized I've been missing out big time. That whole "droopy and brown" thing hit close to home because my roses always end up looking sad no matter how careful I am with hanging them. She said her only regret was not buying a bigger container right away, because once you start using it you want to save everything. Now I'm kind of tempted to just bite the bullet and get a bulk bag off Amazon, even if it feels like a lot for just a hobbyist.