Do Dried Flowers Really Last Forever? Explained.

Every time someone sees one of our dried flower arrangements, one of the first questions they ask is how long do they last. This is a great question, and how long they last could vary. Let’s explore the factors you need to consider in order to get the longest life out of your dried flowers. 

As a general rule dried flowers do not last forever. But they do last for a long time. Under normal conditions, they can last up to a year. In optimal conditions, they can last longer. The best conditions for your dried flowers are to keep them away from any moisture, to keep them out of direct sunlight, and to keep them away from high-traffic areas. These tips will help keep your dried flowers lasting the longest possible. 

Let’s explore these three tips a little more in detail. 

Keep Them Away From Moisture

To get the longest life out of dried flowers the number one rule is no moisture. Never water your dried flower arrangement. This is one of the worst mistakes one could make when it comes to dried flowers. 

Moisture of any kind encourages dried flowers to mold which will then start to rot and decay the arrangement. 

Do everything you can to keep them from getting wet. Keeping them away from sinks and other areas will help them dry. Just use common sense and you will be fine. 

We keep one of our arrangements in our bathroom. It is still going strong and has been in there for about 5 months. The moisture has not affected it yet, but we know that it isn’t the best location for it when it comes to longevity. But we love how it looks in there! 

If you get your flowers wet, or accidentally water them. Don’t fret, it is not the end of the world. Take them out of their vase and place them into a dry area in your house. They need to air out until they are completely dry. Once they are completely dry you can place them back into their vase. This could take a couple of days. If you put them back into their vase with any moisture in the stems, the dark environment of the vase could encourage mold growth.
Flip the vase upside down and let any water drip out, and let dry completely.

Keep Them Out of Direct Sunlight

It can be so tempting to put your dried flower arrangement in the window of your kitchen, or bedroom. And we do think these are great areas to place it. The only downside is the sunlight will degrade your flowers over time. The UV rays will slowly damage the structure of the flowers. For this reason, we always tell our customers to keep them out of direct sunlight. 

UV degradation is the term for this destructive process. UV degradation can cause colors to fade and the structure of the flowers to weaken or become more brittle. When the structure weakens that will cause gravity to have more of an effect and make the flowers droop over time. 

Keep Out of High Traffic Areas

The last tip to prolong the life of your dried flowers is to keep your flowers out of high-traffic areas. Placing them away from where people might bump into them is a good idea. After flowers have been dried they do become more hard and brittle. This means that if you bump into them too hard they could snag on your clothes or break. 

Consider keeping your flowers away from hallways and other tight areas where people could be moving quickly. 

This is the only downside of dried flowers. All flowers are delicate, and fresh pliable are a little more pliable. They might be a little more resistant to an accidental bump. But honestly, you still will probably have some damage either way. The bonus of dried flowers is that even though they might be a little more brittle, they will last much longer.