Post # 1

Member
11 posts
Newbee
Has anyone used preserved flowers, such as these orchids? How similar to real flowers are they? And what’s the difference between preserved and freeze-dried? Do they retain their scent?
I’m really curious if anyone has used these! thanks!
Post # 3

Member
2820 posts
Sugar bee
Preserved/dried flowers usually do have a scent…but it is definitely not the same as the original flower.
From the photo, it would seem as though they’re very similar — however, like freeze-dried flowers, I would assume that they are very fragile.
As for the difference between preserved and freeze-dried…it may be that they’re the same thing. Otherwise, I would assume that the preserved ones are preserved with chemicals (so they may have a chemical odour) and that freeze-dried ones are just that.
Post # 4

Member
2 posts
Wannabee
Hi Charia: Regarding the dried orchids, they are silica dried, most likely from Thailand, and are like paper but still nice. It depends on how you want to use them. If you wanted to use them on the beach, for instance, they would just blow around because they are so light. But for indoor use, in centerpieces, they would be fine. The preserved flowers are real flowers that have been specially treated with a solution or solutions, as glycerine, to last a long time. Producers place fresh flowers in a glycerine and antifungal/antimold solutions, where the solution is absorbed up to the head of the flower. This is the usual procedure but not the only one. They discard the stems and sell the flower heads. They are soft and flexible like fresh and almost indiscernable from fresh. They are also dyed a large variety of colors. They have no scent usually, although foliage as pine, cedar, lavender, rosemarin, eucalyptus and some others do keep their scents.
If you would like more info, please visit my website:
http://www.preservedfloralsbylizann.com
Thanks and good luck, Liz Ann
Post # 5

Member
11 posts
Newbee
Thanks for that information, very helpful!