Preserved flowers are mainly sold as flower heads. It comes from a technical reason : we do not use the same preservation techniques for the head and the stem. The stem technique does not properly preserve the head : glycerine, too viscous, could not penetrate the flower. Similarly, using the head technique for the stem would cause colour issues : the stem and head would have the same colour. How about a yellow or blue-stemmed rose ?
It’s also about profitability for you
Generally speaking, preserved flowers with stems are much more expensive, because its much larger volume, has a strong impact on transport and logistic’s costs.
In spite of all this, some varieties, mainly small flowers, are fully preserved : Thistle, Scabiosa, Statice, Broom, Gyspophile, Heather, Brunia albiflora, Diosma, Craspedia, Hydrangea, Goldenrod …
How to work with flower heads?
There are several ways to exploit flower heads:
The flowers can be stemmed using the cross wire technique or using flower holders.
The stem and head of the flower can also be reassembled, as in the case of roses with stems. But this will be discussed in more detail in a future article.
Anyway, preserved flowers are different from the fresh ones. So it works differently. Indeed, some florist techniques cannot be applied to preserved flowers. But its characteristics of flexibility and durability, push back the constraints of floral compositions and allow creations with infinite possibilities.