Preserve Cut Flowers With Wax

Cut flower arrangements and bouquets brighten up rooms and lend a special meaning to momentous occasions such as birthday, anniversaries, graduations and weddings but unfortunately they only last for a week or 10 days. Preserving cut flowers with wax can offer a helpful solution to ensure the longevity of your bouquets. It involves dipping the flowers in paraffin wax and hanging them to dry until the wax is completely hard. Read the following steps to find out how to preserve cut flowers with wax.

Steps

  1. Heat water.
    • Pour water into a double boiler until it's a quarter full. If you don't have a double boiler, you can use a large saucepan with water in it, and place a smaller metal pot or bowl inside the saucepan.
    • Heat the water over medium heat.
  2. Prepare the paraffin.
    • With a sharp knife, cut the paraffin into pieces of approximately 1 inch by 1 inch (2.5 cm by 2.5 cm).
  3. Melt the paraffin.
    • Put the paraffin into the double boiler. Stir it constantly so it melts evenly and to prevent lumps or clots from forming. If you're using a saucepan and a pot or bowl, put the paraffin wax inside the smaller pot or bowl.
    • When all of the paraffin is melted, turn the heat down to low.
  4. Prepare the flowers.
    • Strip any wilted or dead petals or leaves from the flowers. Dead leaves or petals will look unsightly, while wilted ones most likely will not survive the waxing process.
    • Tie a piece of string of about 3 inches (7.5 cm) of the each flower's stem.
  5. Dip the flowers into the paraffin wax.
    • Holding a flower by its stem, dip it into the melted wax until it is completely and evenly coated. Don't worry about coating the stem yet, that will be done in a later step.
    • Use the piece of string to tie the flower to a clothes rack (or something else from which you can hang it).
    • To catch any drips from the wax, place a sheet of wax paper or newspaper beneath the flowers.
    • Repeat this process for all of the flowers.
  6. Dip the stems into the paraffin wax.
    • When all of the flowers are dry, carefully remove one from where it is hanging.
    • Untie the piece of string from the stem.
    • Dip the flower stem into the wax. Swirl it around until it is completely covered.
    • Lay the flower on a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet to dry.
    • Repeat this process for all of the flowers.

Tips

  • In addition to air-drying, you can also place the flowers in the refrigerator to let the stems dry.
  • You can use waxed flowers for display or you can keep them as souvenirs of certain events. When used for display, beware of high temperatures as this will cause the wax to melt. Also, be aware that most waxed flowers used for display will discolor after about 4 or 5 months. If you're preserving the flowers as a souvenir, keep them in a dark, dry, and cool place, and they can stay good for over 50 years.

Things You'll Need

  • Double boiler, or large saucepan and a smaller metal pot or bowl
  • Water
  • Paraffin
  • Sharp knife
  • Flowers
  • String
  • Clothes rack
  • Wax paper
  • Newspaper
  • Baking sheet

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Sources and Citations

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