Have you ever made a comparison between dried flowers and preserved flowers? Have you wondered what are the differences and similarities between them or what are the best options for your home (whether for decorating or for other uses)?
If that’s the case, but you don’t quite understand what you need to know about dried and preserved flowers, we’ll tell you about all these details so that you have no doubts about them. Keep reading.
Dried flowers: what are they and how are they obtained?
Before talking about which would be better between dried flowers and preserved flowers, it is important that you know what we mean by dried flowers, as well as preserved flowers. In this way, you will be able to know the differences that you will find between them.
Starting with the dried flowers, These can be defined as natural flowers which, due to a process of drying and dehydration, they lose the water that they have inside so that only the structure remains, but they lose the liquid that gave them life.
In other words, dried flowers are just natural flowers, after drying them, they lose that look and shape and end up with wrinkled petals and leaves.
This, yes, due to this “air drying” process they are much more brittle as they look like sheets of paper (pressing a little would already break the petals or leaves).
And what is the process they go through? As we have already told you, what is done is to remove the water from the flowers in such a way that the plant “dries up”. But, unlike its withering, complete preservation is generated.
At home, you may have already done this process. For example, take a flower, put it between towels and press down with a weight so that it releases all the water. Or leave a bouquet of flowers hanging from the ceiling upside down (in these cases it is recommended that it be a room that you can leave in the dark), in addition to applying hairspray or the like so that it dries while retaining its shape.
In exchange, you get an almost intact flower that will last you for many years.
Benefits of using dried flowers in home decoration
Decorating with dried flowers gives you many possibilities. You can decorate with flower petals, with bouquets of dried flowers, ornaments, etc. You can also find it with stabilized flowers, although a little more limited.
SO, From a decorative point of view, one of the main advantages is to use a natural element. Even when it is dry, the process is carried out without touching the plant itself, that is, without using any product that could alter the appearance of the flower you are drying.
Another of the benefits you get with dried flowers for decoration is their aroma.. Did you know they can retain the scent they had? It’s not forever, but for a while you can revel in it and enjoy it as it escalates a bit. So if the flower you are drying is very aromatic, it is normal for this aroma to keep for a good season.
Stabilized flowers: what are they and how are they processed?
If we are now interested in stabilized flowers, we must know that these are created using techniques and chemicals whose objective is to preserve the shape, color, etc. of the flower However, they go through a process of chemical coloring. That is to say, despite being of a certain color, in reality they manipulate that hue and color so that they are even more appreciated. We are therefore dealing with a more artificial element than dried flowers. This does not mean that only white flowers are used and dyed, in fact other colors are used, only this color is artificially worked and colored so as not to lose it over time.
For this reason, they do not retain the natural smell they had, and only if you add perfume will you be able to smell it (usually they do not smell at all or, if they are freshly prepared, the aroma they give off is that of chemicals).
In return, it retains a natural touch as if it were a real flower. That’s why it attracts so much attention, because it looks like a real flower but you know it will last a long time (not as long as you dry it, be careful, although they are more fragile, if you don’t be careful they can leave earlier).
The main advantage of stabilized flowers is their appearance. Decoratively, they are very attractive and can be kept in pristine condition for quite some time (yes, by protecting them from dust so they don’t lose their color).
Dried or preserved flowers: which is the best option?
Now that you know what dried flowers are and which ones are preserved, you may not yet know which is the best option. And at this point, the answer is not easy.
For starters, your own taste comes into play here. There are those who like to see dried flowers; but there are people who don’t like them and prefer them preserved because they keep their aspect, their shape, their color… even if it’s less long than the dried ones can last.
Another aspect to consider is whether you prefer flowers that have undergone a natural treatment to preserve them or a more complex treatment, often using various types of artificial products, to preserve them as if they were alive.
There is no doubt that if you want to decorate them, the stabilized flowers will be more striking against dry ones; but you can also play with it.
As you can see, a comparison between dried and stabilized flowers is not easy to make. And the final answer in choosing one or the other will depend on what tastes you have as well as what you want to achieve. Do you have any doubts? Leave them in the comments and we’ll try to answer them.