Is there a way to preserve the petals of a leaf so that even if it dries it looks the same?

Question

Is there some natural way to preserve a petal so that it'll look the same for days? lemon juice? nail polish? etc

Answer 1

Silica gel looks like a fine white sand but is made for absorbing water so will desiccate plants. You can find silica gel at garden centers or hobby shops. It takes about three pounds to dry 12 average-sized flowers. This is plenty to ensure several really good dried examples.

Cover the bottom of an airtight container, such as a plastic box with a layer of gel. Cut stems, remove extra parts and place the flowers or leaves on the gel in as natural a position as possible. Pour the sand over & into the flower tapping gently so and the material will move to the flower but not alter the form of the petals. Continue adding the material, tapping on the container, etc. until the flower is completely covered.

Tape the lid to keep wet air from entering and slowing the drying. Check after at least a week. If flowers feel papery, they are done. They are very fragile so be careful.  Remove the flowers and use a tiny soft make up brush or hair dryer with diffuser to remove traces of the silica gel.

Most flowers dry in a week to 10 days retaining their shape and color more naturally than dried.

However the flowers become brittle and the colors darken. Results are not very natural with roses especially ones with many petals. Simple shapes are easiest or leaves.

I've never seen it but the hobbyists say oolitic sand from the Great Salt Lake in Utah gives better results for shape and color.

http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/ag...

http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/misc/dryflr...

I haven't tried this but it is next on my list.

Microwave Drying

During drying support the flower or leaves, in their normal form with some mixture like borax and sand at 2:1, borax and white cornmeal at 2:1, or kitty litter will do, but silica gel works best. Cover the flowers with desiccants with care to preserve shape. "Use a setting of 4 (that’s about 300 watts) if the microwave oven has about 10 settings. If the microwave oven has a defrost setting, use that (about 200 watts). It takes about two and a half minutes to dry flowers in a half-pound of silica gel."

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic1

http://www.make-stuff.com/gardening/dry_...

Answer 2

If the petal is still attached to the flower, you could let it absorb glyserine ( make 1:2 glyserine/water solution and put flower in there). The colour may get little bit darker but glyserine should preserve the petal a little bit longer. It is not forever, though, but should do for couple of days.

One way to preserve something as difficult as snails or aquatic insects or larvae so that they do not shrivel is to freeze-dry them. Object is put inside the box with silica-pearls, box is sealed and put to the freezer. Drying may take up to a year depending on the size of the object, but result is very nice. I am using this for creepy crawlies, because my interest is entomology and arachnology, but people have freeze-dried for example mushrooms for museum collections with great success.