Flowers can represent so much in our lives and their natural beauty is surpassed by none. We are given flowers to express feelings of gratitude, pride or love: a bunch of flowers to commemorate our graduation, our exquisitely designed wedding bouquet, the floral arrangement we received at the birth of our first child. They carry with them a beautiful sentiment. The only drawback of such a gift is their fleeting life, symbolized by their falling petals. To end up in the trash bag seems such a sad end to something so full of beauty and meaning.
Luckily all is not lost. Artists have spent decades working with different mediums attempting to find the best possible way to preserve flower petals to ensure they are kept perfect for always. The type of preservation you choose will determine the outcome of the art you create. Let’s take a look at the different options when it comes to conserving these precious petals:
1. Victorian Pressed Flowers
This method was originally created in Japan but grew greatly in popularity during the Victorian era. The flower petals are dried in a flower press, flatten them and causing the moisture to leave whilst ensuring they are not damaged by light. The flowers then appear flat, and often their color is altered. The alteration depends on the original coloring and condition of the petals; reds can appear more deep and intense and pale hues lighter.
When the flowers have been pressed, they can then be delicately placed in an arrangement to preserve their structure. The size of the frame and style is dependent on the amount of flower you choose. Some services also include additional personalization options, such as a photograph to be included with your wedding bouquet, or a prayer card with a memorial flower.
2. Marvelous Monograms
This type of preservation can make an ingenious and thoughtful gift. The flowers are artistically arranged into you and/or your partner’s initials, celebrating your special day and ensuring your bouquet will never fade and stay with you always. You can choose a style that best fits your home and a background that complement the hues of your petals.
3. Freeze Dried Flowers
This is a more contemporary process, but works just as well as the classics and produces a very different result. For this method, the flowers are gently placed in a vacuum chamber which gently and slowly removes the moisture. The process starts with flash freezing the fresh flowers (the better condition the better) then sealing them for 10-15 days. The result is the flower’s original shape is preserved perfectly, so when they are displayed they are three-dimensional and lose none of their original form. Specially chosen chemical are then added to ensure the color of the petals is retained, keeping your flowers frozen in time forever. The flowers in their original arrangement can then be displayed in a glass bubble case complete with a picture from your special day, in a unique ornament or in a glass dome.
4. Bellabeads
This technique is used to immortalize your flower petals into jewelry. The petals are imaginatively worked into glass beads which can then be used within the jewelry as pendants in necklaces, charm beads, earrings, cufflinks, sun catchers, key chains; the list goes on and on. You can choose different petals for different colored beads, or have a stylish mix created based on several colors of your choosing. There is an even an option to design your own items – check out the My Flowers Forever website for more details of all of the above.
