May 2005 Feature Article

Drying Peonies With Silica Gel

by Lindsay D'Aoust

A couple of years ago my neighbour left my field with an armload of cut peonies and returned later that summer with a beautiful arrangement of dried peonies.  I was blown away by how life like the flowers were.  She told me she had dried them using silica gel. I filed that idea away for the future and never did anything with it…

This past March I was visiting the Canadian Peony Society booth at Canada Blooms in Toronto  and saw the work of Lex Landon. She had a display of dried peony flowers that was quite amazing. When I first saw them, I honestly thought they were real! (I understand I was definitely not the only one who thought so). Lex had also created her masterpieces using silica gel.

Dried Peony Display at Canada Blooms by Lex Landon

It was definitely time I learnt more about drying peonies with silica gel!

Compared to other techniques for drying flowers, the silica gel method is relatively expensive in terms of both time and money and it’s difficult to do on a large scale because each flower has to be dealt with individually. It does however result in extremely life like dried flowers.  From the results that I’ve seen, it is well worth the effort and expense.

Silica gel is not a gel but rather a granular form of silicon dioxide with an impressive ability to absorb moisture. We’re probably most familiar with silicon dioxide in the form of sand. However, it can be made in other forms too such as silica gel. The ability of silica gel to absorb water is due to its non-crystalline structure, which is extremely porous. The sand form has a crystalline structure and is not porous. Same chemical make up, but very different physical properties.

Uses of silica gel include pharmaceuticals, packaging and storage, laboratory equipment and much more from what I read but, as my daughter would say, do I really need to know this? Actually no, all you really need to know is that it is easily obtained with a granularity and absorption capability well suited for drying flowers.

The technique for drying peonies with silica gel is straightforward. The following is an excerpt of an article recently published by Lex Landon in which she describes the method she used to create the magnificent flowers I saw in Toronto.

These are the basic steps I used:

First, acquire some silica gel crystals.  These are available through Lee Valley stores or their mail order catalogue (www.leevalley.com), and some craft stores. 

I put a quarter inch layer of crystals in the bottom of a rectangular plastic container about 8” x 12” in size. 

Then I cut 2 or 3 fresh blooms leaving about a half inch of stem. 

I settled these stem first into the crystals, then carefully sifted crystals over the flowers until they were completely covered. Take care to maintain the petals in their natural position. 

Place the lid on and keep the container tightly closed for about 3 days. 

Then remove the lid, and carefully pour the crystals off.  It’s as easy as that. 

Not knowing what to expect, I started with several small single side buds, moved on to a full sized semi-double, and ended up trying a pair of full double flowers.  All turned out very well.

(Excerpted with permission from the May edition of The Peony C to C, published by the Canadian Peony Society www.peony.ca )

Lex worked with the peonies 'Cytherea', 'May Music', 'White Innocence' and 'Constance Spry' for the above display. If you're not yet convinced of the realistic results, look at the following pictures of the dried flower and the same variety pictured in the peony field.

'Cytherea'

'White Innocence'

'May Music'

For an interesting discussion about other methods of drying flowers, consult the web site of Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service: http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1151.htm

Top of Page