Supplies for dyeing flowers
Flower dyeing supplies.

Do you want to experiment with coloring flowers a vibrant pink or an unnatural blue? Follow this step-by-step guide to adding some pizazz to an ordinary white flower and learn how to dye flowers!

1) Start with a white flower with a long stem. Carnations are an easy choice to dye as they take to the dye very well.

2) Make sure the flowers are very thirsty before you begin. This will cause the entire flower to dye, rather than just the tips of the petals, which can happen if the flower is already hydrated. Leave the flowers out of water for a day (unless they seem to start turning brown- then start the dying process before they wilt) to make the flowers “thirsty.”

3) Cut the stem at an angle. Make sure to use a sharp knife because a dull knife or scissors will pinch the flower’s stem and decrease its ability to take in the water. Cutting the stem at an angle serves the purpose of increasing the speed it takes for the flower to absorb the dye and therefore the time it takes for the flower to change color.

angled flower stem
cut the stem at an angle

4) Fill a container, such as a vase, halfway full with water. Choose the color that you want to dye your flower and add that color food coloring to the water until it becomes saturated with the color (about four drops of coloring per cup).

5) Place the flower in the container holding the dyed water. Make sure to keep the flower in sunlight so it gets the proper nutrients it needs to grow and stay alive.

flowers slowly begin to change colors, first from the tips

6) Watch the flower change color as it absorbs the dyed water! Remove the flower when the preferred color is reached.

dyed green flower
green dyed flower, after 1 day in dye

Enjoy the brightly colored flower in your home, or give it to a loved one as a gift!

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