How do you preserve rose petals for potpourri?

We have fresh roses and would like to make bags filled with them for Christmas gifts. What is the best way to preserve them?

How do you preserve rose petals for potpourri?
just let them dry in a dry warm place, ?





then add oils onto them so they abosrb that, still keeping them in a dry place in the room
Reply:Tie them with string at the base in a bundle before they get too wilted. Then hang them upside down for a while (like a week should do it). Then massage the petals and they'll just fall off the stem. Put them in a bag.
Reply:I've done this - just hang them upside down, and when they're dry, carefully remove the petals. You might want to do this before they dry *completely,* but they need to be dry enough to maintain their shape. When I "made" my potpurri, I just mixed the petals with some beautiful pre-made potpurri that went well with the color and the smell of roses (even though the dried roses didn't smell anymore.)
Reply:You can dry them. Simply tie a bouquet together and hang upside down for a week or two (this is what I do with my roses when I want to make potpourri, works great but the colour of the rose does tend to fade over time). You can also try a dessicant. You can purchase dessicants at craft stores like Michael's. I've never personally used it before but I've heard that it works well.