Gerard Bernazano of Vermont Flowers explains the process of preserving dried flowers during the IFTEX 2016 flower expo at the Oshwal Centre in Nairobi. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU
What you need to know:
Petals and stalks can be preserved to make large floral sculptures or centrepieces.
Dried flowers can be tastefully used to decorate living spaces, resulting in appealing arrangements that can last very long. In the hands of floral stylists, the dried flowers remain distinctively beautiful and one cannot tell the difference with the fresh ones.
They can be hang on ceilings in different varieties or set as centrepieces on dining tables or used to make large-scale floral sculpture.
All types of flowers can be dried and still maintain their allure, shape and colour.
Vermont Flowers, a Kenyan company dealing in dry flowers, processes them using a technique which ensures that the rich colour, form and beauty are maintained.
Gerard Bernazano, a co-founder of the company, in an interview with the Business Daily during a recent flower expo in Nairobi, said that the process starts seven days after the flowers are cut.
This when the stem cuttings are dipped into a chemical concentrate to preserve them.
Mr Bernazano, who exports the dried flowers said they use the Vermont dying process, a technology that was invented in 1989 by Paul and Ginette Lambert, who were at the time based in France.
The Vermont process leaves the flowers looking natural by maintaining their original shape and brightness, as well as their suppleness.
The flowers and other foliage are carefully selected from varieties that are grown by contracted farmers. After grading, both flowers and foliage are preserved using a process called ‘eternisation’, in which a solution of glycerine, colorants and activators is absorbed into the stems, leaves and petals.
Once eternised, the foliages become soft and supple and can be molded into beautiful bouquets, topiaries, architectural sculptures, wall art, lampshades and many other arrangements.
Vermont Flowers, located at Sameer Industrial Park on Mombasa Road, has been in the business of dried flowers for 30 years now.
Mr Bernazano sells dried flowers from Kenyan contracted farmers to market across the world, with their biggest customers being in Japan and Russia.
Growing demand
He notes that the demand for dried flowers is growing as more people appreciate their malleability.
The team at Vermont Flowers also crafts wall hangings from dried flowers, by pinning them onto plastic or fabric bases. The flowers, however, do not come cheap as the price per bouquet starts Sh3,000.
But Mr Bernazano says that the process of drying and longevity is what makes the cost high.
“The dried flowers can last for years depending on the care they are given, and buying them over the fresh ones that wither after one week, makes economic sense,” said Mr Bernazano.
The dried flowers demand little care and handling.
“Dried flowers are sensitive to heat and humidity and they can last for years if they are kept away from direct sunlight, intense heat and water,” said the Italian exporter, adding that if need be, one should only gently dust them.
Other drying methods
Most florists dry flowers by hanging them in ventilated areas although this technique is not ideal for sensitive flowers like the roses because the stems end up drying unnaturally and become brittle.
Other flower drying techniques used around the world include pressing, hot air drying, silica gel drying and freeze drying.
Pressing, as a flower preservation technique has its origins in the Victorian times and it entails using different types of presses to create flat floral pieces that are then framed and hung on walls.
Hot air drying is preferred for flowers like marigolds and cornflowers, which dry well in a fan-assisted, convection chamber at a temperature of 30-35Celsius, over several hours.
Silica gel, which is available in Kenya under various trade names, dries flowers quickly and can be reused severally. It is especially useful for drying fragile plants and flowers with delicate colours allium, anemone and tulips.
Vermont Flowers has in the past worked with floral designers from around the globe, among them Belgian Daniel Ost and American Hilton McConnico, in making an assortment of frames, lampshades and decorative paper.
