Flowers That Are Easy to Preserve vs. Those That Are Not

Easy to Preserve:

- Roses – One of the best flowers for preservation. They hold their shape well and dry beautifully.

- Hydrangeas – Preserve well, but colours may shift slightly over time. Perfect to create custom jewellery. 

- Delphinium – Their delicate petals maintain their vibrancy and structure. Perfect to create custom jewellery. 

- Baby's Breath– A fantastic filler flower that keeps its form.

- Pansies & Violas– Their small size makes them ideal for resin jewellery.

- Lunaria - A translucent Irish flower that works wonderfully in resin to create jewellery and large pieces.

- Anemone - Very little change, petals might become slightly translucent in time. 

- Peony - The best flower to work with, will preserve almost as fresh, the pink ones will most likely change colour to coral / light beige and might need to be colour corrected. 

 - Ranunculus -  They hold their colour and shape beautifully, making them a dream to work with. Their delicate yet bold petals and striking centres allow for stunning jewellery pieces, from hairpins and pendants to brooches.

Ranunculus bring so much texture to an arrangement, adding depth and contrast whether they're used in a resin display or as a standalone keepsake. Their vibrant hues—whether deep purples, rich reds, soft whites, or inky blues—remain true through the preservation process, making them a perfect choice for wearable pieces.

More Difficult to Preserve:

- Lilies – Their high moisture content makes them tricky to dry without bruising.

- Orchids – Stunning but fragile; their thick petals can warp, but can be very successfully preserved, just with a higher loss % compared to other flowers. 

- Chrysanthemums - Their dainty layers of petals can be challenging to preserve whole, all the petals will most likely break from the core, meaning I have to reconstruct the entire flower. 

- Snapdragon - While I love working with a variety of flowers, snapdragons are one on ‘avoid’ list. They simply don't preserve well—their moisture content is too high, and the silica beads cling to them, making them almost impossible to clean properly. Even when dried, they don't add much to the overall composition of a preserved bouquet. They look stunning when fresh, but unfortunately, they're just not suited for long-term preservation in resin. Definitely one plant I don't enjoy working with!

 - Italian Ruscus - It is a big yes from florists when it comes to texture in fresh bouquets, but it's a hard no from me when it comes to preserving. Honestly, I've tried with it more times than I care to count, and it just doesn't hold up. Even when it arrives fresh, it tends to go yellow fast and wilts into a dull, lifeless green that throws off the whole look of the piece.

I know it adds that lovely airy feel in a fresh arrangement, but in resin or pressed work? It just doesn't cooperate. I often leave it out entirely because I don't want one dodgy bit of foliage to bring down a whole bouquet that means so much to someone. So if you're planning your flowers with preservation in mind, I'd gently suggest swapping it out for something more reliable.

 - Light Purple Lisianthus- - Again, one of those flowers that looks absolutely stunning fresh – especially the pale purple ones – but it's a bit of a heartbreaker when it comes to preserving. Almost every single time, that soft lilac shade fades out and turns into a pale brown. It loses all its original charm, no matter how gentle the process is.

Even with my €20 stamp colour correction add-on, it's just not worth it for this particular flower. It doesn't bring the colour back in a reliable or natural-looking way, so I usually recommend either swapping it out for a deeper purple version (which holds up better) or choosing a different flower altogether.

As for white lisianthus – they're hit or miss. Sometimes they stay white, but if they're not super fresh, they can go a weird luminous green, which is not the vibe most people are going for. So if you love this flower and want it included, just keep those things in mind!

While I always strive for perfection, it's important to remember that some flowers naturally react differently to the preservation process. 

I will continue to update this list.