Preserved, dried and fresh flowers: which is right for you

People use the terms interchangeably, but they are three different products, with different processes, prices and uses.

What each one is

	Fresh	Dried	Preserved
Process	None	Dehydration	The sap is replaced with glycerin
Texture	Alive, firm	Brittle	Soft and flexible, almost like fresh
Color	Natural	Muted, shifted	Dyed, stable
How long it lasts	5 to 14 days	1 to 3 years	1 to 3 years, sometimes more
Fragrance	Yes	Little or none	No
Price	Lower	Low	High

How preserved flowers are made

It is an industrial process: the flower is cut at its peak and made to absorb a solution of vegetable glycerin that replaces the water in its tissue. With no water, it does not decompose; with glycerin, it does not turn brittle. Then it is dyed, because the process bleaches it.

That explains the price: it is a good-quality flower plus a process that takes several days plus the dyeing. And it explains why blue and black preserved roses exist: the color is added.

When each one makes sense

Fresh when the gift is the gesture and not the object: a birthday, an anniversary, an apology, a thank-you. A fresh flower has something the others do not: fragrance, and the fact that it will come to an end. That is part of the message.

Dried for low-maintenance decor, rustic or Scandinavian-style spaces, and for keeping something with sentimental value —a bridal bouquet, for example—. They are the cheapest and you can make them at home: it is covered in how to dry flowers at home.

Preserved when you want permanence that looks fresh: a gift that stays, decor for a shop or an office where nobody is going to change the water, or a room without natural light where a plant would not survive.

How to care for preserved flowers

• No water. It ruins them.
• Away from direct sun: that is what fades them.
• Away from high humidity: in a bathroom they go soft.
• Dust comes off with a hair dryer on cool, at the lowest setting.

An honest note

They are sometimes sold as "flowers that last forever". That is not true: they last one to three years, and after that the color dulls and the texture starts to give. That is far longer than a fresh flower, and it is not forever. The same goes for so-called eternal roses — see what eternal roses are.