I regularly get asked what flowers work best in what preservations. Sometimes it can be down to personal preference, for example I LOVE shadowbox preservation but you may prefer a pressed frame!
My aim is to break it down flower by flower and let you know what happens to each flower during the processes and methods I use. Then looking at your bouquet you can decide on the best option for you and your flowers. The chart below goes into detail of things you need to know about each individual flower when it goes through each preservation process, please note this chart only describes imperfections and colour changes based on the freshest of flowers, the quality of the end result depends on the care of the flowers and their age before they get to me, the chart is not describing definitive outcomes it is only to help manage customer expectations. Browning can still occur if the flowers are older, bruised or deprived of water, remember flowers are preserved in the condition we receive them in.
Flower Type | Pressed | Dried (Shadowbox) | Resin |
Red Roses | Slightly darkens in colour, has to be pressed petal by petal and then reconstructed. | Dries darker. | Can cling onto microbubbles due to velvety texture. |
Yellow Roses | Darkens to a muted mustard colour, has to be deconstructed | Dries true to colour, can brown in the middle if aged | Casts well, can show some bruising on outer petals once resin is set |
White Roses | Will press an ivory cream colour, browning is common, has to be deconstructed to press | Dries more of an ivory with an antique look, browning can be visible if aged | Prone to translucent spots when cast in resin |
Peach Roses | Hold colour well, pressed petal by petal | Can turn lighter in some cases | Prone to translucent spots |
Blush Pink Roses | Will loose most of the natural colour and press ivory. Pressed petal by petal. | Dries a more muted colour, pink mostly fades | Can be prone to translucent spots and bruising |
Pink Roses | Colours will be more muted and slightly darker. Pressed petal by petal. | Colours darken, especially dark pink roses. | |
Toffee Roses | Press very nicely. Pressed petal by petal. | Can turn more of a purpley colour once dried | Can change to a purple toned colour |
Quicksand Roses | Will lighten slightly once pressed, pressed petal by petal. | Colour changes can be quite dramatic, can pick up a purple/grey/green tinge | Casting will make colour changes more noticeable |
David Austin & Garden Roses | Not the best for pressing due to petal shape | Can take longer to dry and can brown in the centres if aged | |
Peonies | Will press lighter than their natural colour, with slight translucency. Red peonies will darken slightly | Fragile in the drying process and prone to falling apart. Best to send ASAP | Look beautiful in resin. |
Coral Peonies | Naturally these petals turn more of a peach than coral pink | Will dry more of a peach colour than coral pink | Casts well |
Sunflowers | Must be pressed deconstructed, sometimes centres cant be pressed for floating frames (double glass) | In some cases yellow petals can fade and have white striations but this is uncommon | Centres can harbour more bubbles due to texture |
Gerbera Daisy | Difficult to press for floating frames due to thickness, results can vary | Dry extremely well, some reds may darken and cerise pinks turn more purple | 9/10 times come out perfect in resin but centres can cling to bubbles |
Carnations | Have to be pressed by individual petals and reconstructed, may look slightly different to original flower | All variations dry very well, reds can slightly darken and whites can be ivory-cream | Cast perfectly |
Crysanthemums | Not suitable for pressing | Can be extremely delicate, prone to falling apart | Can cast well in resin if they survive the drying process |
Tulips | Petals press well but outcomes does have some transparency | Can be delicate to dry, petals can break | Can cast well once dried |
Anthurium Lily | All press a bright orange colour, not suitable for pressing with colour retention | Will also dry bright orange, colour changes are drastic | Can be cast once dried, but colour changes occur in drying. |
Calla Lily | White calla lillies will turn brown and yellow, picasso lillies press better | Whites will turn yellow and brown | As above |
Oriental Lily | Can be pressed and reconstructed, petals will press with some translucency, pollen buds must be removed before posting | Whites can turn cream or brown if aged, pollen buds must be removed before posting, best option is to frame 3D | Petals can turn translucent in resin to the point of being almost see through, not suitable for resin casting |
Cymbidium Orchids | Can brown once pressed, centres also need to be removed for pressing. Colour changes can be drastic | Prone to drastic colour changes, not suitable to be dried without colour correction | Can be cast with colour changes. |
Phalaenopsis Orchids | Whites press well with some translucency, other colours may be subject to browning | Whites dry well but petals become translucent, other colours are prone to colour changes and exaggerated browning | Can become translucent when cast in resin. |
Lisianthus | Some white petals can yellow. Generally press well with only slight translucency | Whites can yellow and purples are more prone to browning, light purple colours can be washed out once dried | Cast beautifully other than mentioned colour changes, some whites can be translucent |
Ranunculus | Pressed petal by petal, will look slightly different to original flower once reconstructed | These flowers dry very well | Suitable for resin |
King Protea | Can be pressed once deconstructed but only if fresh, if they have already started to dry out this isn't possible | Can be dried naturally | Suitable for resin with large mould |
Thistles | Can be pressed once the centre is cut off, but can't always be pressed thin enough for double glass frames | Dries true to colour | Can cling onto bubbles due to texture |
Anemones | Press very well, whites can have some browning and dusting from pollen centres | Generally dry well but can be delicate | Some petals can be slightly translucent as they are thin |
Dahlias | Can look a little squashed when pressed and not true their original form, not best suited to pressing | Generally dry well but can be delicate, need to be sent as fresh as possible. Orange dahlias can go brown. | Can create bubbles |
Astromeria | Can loose colour once pressed | Dry well with colour retention but can be delicate | Can show some translucency once in resin |
Babies Breath | Press well | Dry well | Cast well |
Brunia Berries | Not suitable for pressing | Dry well | Can turn darker in resin |
Pansy | Press Well | Dry Well | Cast Well |
Hypericum Berries | Not suitable for pressing | Dry black or very dark and shrivvels up | Cast well but with colour changes |
Craspedia | Not suitable for pressing | Dries well | Casts well |
Chamomile | Press well individually | Can loose petals once dried | Petals can stray in resin |
Larkspur & Delphinium | Press well | Dry well | Cast well |
Daffodils | Press with good colour retention | Dry well with some transparency | Petals are thin and can show some translucency |
Sweet Peas | Press well | Dry Well | Cast Well |
Snap Dragons | Hard to press on stalks | Dry slightly brown | Can cast well but dry slightly brown |
Dusty Miller | Presses true to colour | Dries true to colour | Turns green in resin and looses silver colour |
Hydrangeas | Press well | Dry well | Can show bruising if exposed to too much moisture |
Freesias | Can be thick to press, pink ones take on a more purple colour | Dry well with minimal colour changes | Preserve well in resin |
Hopefully now you will have all the information to decide what preservation process is the best for you and your flowers. If you are looking for info on a particular flower which isn't listed here please get in touch so I can advise, I'm always looking to add to the list.
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** The information in this blog is intellectual property of Orphic Treasures, other artists are welcome to refer to this post or use it as a tool to inform their customers. It is not to be copied.
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