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Drying Flowers

The Basics

 

The key to drying flowers successfully is drying them quickly. This can be accomplished by creating a hot environment and then removing the humidity in the drying process. It is therefore important to find a hot place that is well ventilated. The combination of these two factors is critical for best results when drying flowers. 

 

 

Varieties that Dry Nicely

 

  • Bright pink roses

  • Mercedes roses,

  • Hydrangea

  • Larkspur

  • Marigolds

  • Straw flower

  • Safflower

  • Yarrow

  • Statice

  • Zinnias

  • Globe Amaranth

  • Herbs: Rosemary, Mint, Oregano Parsley, Bay and Sage

 

Preparing the Flowers

 

Take the leaves off the flowers and divide them into small bunches of about a half dozen stems.  Fasten them together with string, raffia or a rubber band.  Have string on hand for hanging bunches upside down.

 

Where and How to Dry Your Flowers

 

Hang flowers upside down in hot dark garage, attic or small room.  (A sunny location will fade the blooms.)  

 

When hanging your flowers to dry, try not to let the blooms touch each other.  Give them room for air to circulate around each bloom, and each bunch.

 

In the morning, ventilate the space for about 2 hours, this lets the humid air out and prevents mold from forming on the flowers. 

 

How Long Does the Drying Process Take?

 

Drying times depend on how hot the drying room is and the kinds of flowers you are drying.  If the room is warm enough, it should take less than a week for roses to dry.  A rose is completely dried when the round bulb below the bloom is hard.  This bulb is the densest part of the flower and therefore, the last thing to dry.  Other, less dense flower varieties (i.e. larkspur) will take about 3 days to dry.  These varieties are dried when they become brittle and crispy.

 

 

Gourd Votives

Dried arrangements are expensive to buy in the store.  You can make one easily, and relatively inexpensively, by following these simple directions and drying your own flowers.

 

Materials

 

  • Dried roses (50 stems) or larkspur (30stems)

  • 10 stems dried greenery (acacia, lemon leaf or eucalyptus work well)

  • Small handful of green moss

  • 4-inch x 4-inch square container

  • Clippers

  • Scissors

  • Knife

  • Half a brick dried flower foam.

  • 1 Yard wired ribbon, 2-inches wide

 

Directions

 

  1. Cut dried foam to fit snuggly inside the 4-inch square container.

  2. Insert green moss between the foam and the edge of the container.

  3. Insert either the dried larkspur or dried roses into the foam, lining the flowers up in neat rows.  Each flower should be as close to each other as possible.  If using roses, they should all be placed in the container at the same height.

  4. When you come to the end of a “row,” place more flowers right in front of the flower of the previous row.

  5. The corners of your centerpiece should look square.  This will create the contemporary feel to the arrangement.

  6. If using dried larkspur, use scissors to give the entire arrangement a “hair cut.”  Cut the tips of the flowers off so that the top of the centerpiece is flat and even.

  7. Add the greenery at the bottom of the container. 

  8. With wired ribbon, tie a bow around all the flowers, approximately one-third the way up from the bottom of the stems.

My best,

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