Which flowers preserve best (and which don’t!)
I’ve been preserving flowers a long time now, and I’ve seen so many varieties through my studio doors. I’ve found that some flowers do preserve and maintain their colours better than others, so I wanted to pop together this guide in order to help you when selecting your wedding flowers. You can even share this with your florist to help with planning!
Now it’s important to know that it’s not the end of the world if you have one of the flowers that don’t preserve well in your bouquet - there are always work arounds (some of which I’ve explained below) and we can still get you a beautiful preservation. If you do want to discuss any concerns you have just contact me and we can chat through it.
The importance of variety & texture
Before I delve into the specific types of flowers we need to talk about the importance of texture when selecting your blooms. Bouquets that include a few different types of flowers in different shapes and sizes tend to make the best preservation pieces.
Now this doesn’t mean you HAVE to have colour (although please give me colour I LOVE it). If you’re after the all white aesthetic you can achieve this and still include a variety of white flowers (orchids, stock, ranunculus, to name a few) rather than just all white roses. This gives some interest to the designs I’m able to achieve in your piece.
Ok so which flowers don’t preserve well?
This isn’t exhaustive but it covers the big ones!
Hypericum berries (or any berry really) - due to the very high moisture content in these they do tend to change colour from white/pink to black in the drying process click for more info on the preservation process. We can still preserve them in resin as they are, however if the colour change is a deal breaker for you there are really great looking artificial versions that we can swap into your resin piece if you want to maintain the original colour.
Anthurium - these also discolour due to their high moisture content, we can still pop them in resin if you don’t mind the colour change, or the artificial replacements for these are also very realistic.
Succulents - their moisture content is too high to maintain their shape throughout the drying process but we do have great artificial replacements for these too! (I sense a theme here hmm)
Quicksand roses - these are VERY common in bridal bouquets, and they are gorgeous when they’re fresh. I’ve set hundreds of these in resin, so it’s by no means a deal breaker for your flower preservation. Just keep in mind that they do tend to change colour from dusty pink to a more purple and sometimes grey colour.
Chrysanthemum - or as I like to call them, flower bombs! These are so touch and go, sometimes they can hold together perfectly and look adorable in resin but if they aren’t super fresh when they arrive to me they can fall apart during the drying process. If you have these in your bouquet best to get them to my studio ASAP and if you have spares bring them along!
Cymbidium orchids - these are a bit of a mixed bag, some can preserve quite well and some do turn brown. Sometimes even flowers from the same stem can dry very differently! If you have these in your bouquet best to get these to me while they’re as fresh as possible and bring along any spares.
Flowers that do preserve well
Ok so teaser, there’s a lot here!
Roses - probably the most common flower I get through my studio and there’s a reason why, they’re stunning! Roses do tend to dry quite well, keep in mind that the red varieties tend to dry darker and the white varieties can become more beige or take on a more vintage look after the drying process.
Nina red roses - if you’re going to have red roses please, just please, ask for these. Red roses tend to dry quite dark, some varieties can even look black when preserved but these are so vibrant and throw an orangey hue which translates into a bright red floral preservation.
Phalaenopsis Orchids - these come in such a wide variety of colours, I’ve preserved blue, purple, pink and of course white ones to name a few. Due to how delicate the petals are you can often see the veining in the petals once it’s in the resin block, it’s so beautiful. Keep in mind they can show bruising once they’re set in the resin, this appears as little transparent spots on the petal (not a brown bruise don’t worry!).
Peonies - these are just gorgeous preserved (fluffy fairy floss vibes) but do need to be brought to me while they’re fresh as they can have a tendency to fall apart. If you have peonies in your bouquet you will need to consider one of my larger sizes to fit these bad boys in! You can see all my shapes and sizes here.
Carnations - poor carnations got a bad rap in the 80’s but far out I love these little blooms. They come in so many colours and preserve so well, they also bring that texture we so desperately love.
Ranunculus - gosh these are cute. They come in a variety of colours and they’re just so fluffy!
Sweet pea - another heavy hitter when it comes to texture, these come in a variety of colours and preserve beautifully.
Natives - some popular natives for bridal bouquets include proteas, billy buttons, eucalyptus leaves and kangaroo paws to name a few. These all preserve really well and are fun to work with. If you do have a king protea in your bouquet keep in mind you will need a larger preservation if you want the whole bloom inside - otherwise we can always pull petals apart to include parts of it in a smaller shape.
Dahlias - one of my favourite flowers (have I said that 100 times already?). Dahlias are full of texture and so delicate. They do wilt quickly so bring them to me while they’re super fresh or pack spares!
I’ll list a few other flowers that preserve well here, otherwise I’ll be writing all day:
Straw flower
Gerbera
Queen annes lace
Wax flower
Spray roses
Scabiosa
Hydrangea
Stock
Chamomile (one of my personal favourites!!)
Tulips
Babies Breath
Delphinium
If you made it this far thank you so much for reading, I hope you found it a helpful resource! If you do want to talk to me about booking in a flower preservation feel free to contact me or enquire online at the link below and I’ll get back to you shortly about availabilities. The enquiry form includes all my products and their prices.