‘Preserved flowers’ is the coined term for long-lasting flowers, though they are also known as ‘infinity roses’ and ‘forever roses. The original name, however, is ‘stabilised flowers’. To make things straightforward and simple when I explain the preservation process, I will be referring to them by their original name, ‘stabilised flowers’.
There is a lot of confusing within the industry surrounding the difference between ‘dried flowers’ and ‘stabilised flowers’. Most people assume outright that ‘stabilised flowers’ are dried, but that is not exactly the case.
What is the biggest difference between dried and stabilised flowers?
The preservation technique used.
Dried Flowers:
As the name suggests, preserving dried flowers is through dehydrating the flowers.
The process can even be done at home, it is as simple as hanging the flowers upside down in a dry environment for a period of time. Eventually the moisture will have evaporated out of the flowers giving you the final product of ‘dried flowers’. It is carried out differently on an industrial level as there are different plant materials. The technique used is dependent on the thickness, density and fragility of the plants and flower structures.
Once the flowers are fully dried the colour will be dull, the petals will be extremely brittle and delicate to touch. The dehydration process will often leave them smaller in size, this is normal.
Stabilised Flowers:
The preservation process for ‘stabilised flowers’ is another form of drying. However, the process and technique is completely different. The result of this process will be a flexible texture and natural looking that mimics a fresh flower!
Stabilising flowers is complex process in which I will explain briefly below;
1. The natural flowers come fresh from the farms. Our team checks the best quality rose heads by looking at each head to ensure there are no imperfections. The best ones are selected, then the stems are cut off and put-on trays, which go in a stabilising solution.
At Vermont Flowers Ldt, all the flowers come from local farmers from small scale to large scale. Kenya is known for its beautiful roses, that are exported all over the world, and we are proud to be part of the companies that represent the flower industry of the local market to the world.
2. During the process, the natural saps of the flowers are replaced with a glycerine-based solution which is a rehydration process. Due to the process the flowers lose their color and the petals come out completely transparent.
3. In order to give the flowers their rich colourful look, the flowers are dyed in different colours.
4. After this process, the stabilised flowers are dried, and ones again sorted and selected.
5. Lastly, the best quality roses are chosen to make our unique creations which have a long-lasting life span of up to 3 years!
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