Drying flowers is one of the oldest ways to keep a season going. A bunch hung in a dark, dry room will hold its shape for months, and some stems keep their colour for a year or more. It is a simple thing to try at home, and a good use for the last few stems in a bouquet.
Choose the right stems
Not every flower dries well. Good candidates include lavender, statice, bunny tails, grasses, seed heads, hydrangea, strawflower, yarrow and most foliage. Roses and peonies can be dried, but they shrink and darken, so they are better for texture than for colour. Avoid thick, watery stems and anything already fading, because it will only get worse. The best stems to start with are the ones that already feel dry and papery, such as grasses and seed heads.
Air drying, step by step
Pick your flowers on a dry morning, once any dew has gone. Strip the lower leaves, tie the stems in small bunches of five to ten with string or an elastic band, and hang them upside down somewhere dark, dry and well ventilated. A cupboard, a loft or a spare room works well. Keep them out of direct sun, which fades colour, and away from damp. A little space between the bunches matters, so do not crowd them together on one hook.
- Tie small bunches, so air can move between the stems.
- Hang them upside down to keep the heads straight.
- Choose a dark, dry place with good airflow.
- Leave them for two to four weeks, until the stems feel crisp.
- Check for damp or mould and remove any stems that spoil.
Other methods
If you want to press flowers flat, place them between two sheets of blotting paper or plain paper inside a heavy book, and change the paper after a week. Silica gel, sold for drying flowers, keeps colour better and works faster, but it is best for a few special blooms rather than a whole bunch. Both methods are worth trying with small quantities before you commit a whole bouquet. Pressed flowers are best kept out of strong light, or they will fade to a pale brown within a season.
Using what you have dried
Dried stems are fragile once they are ready, so handle them gently and keep them out of damp rooms. A simple bunch tied with ribbon looks good on a shelf, and a few stems in a small vase will last for months without water. If you would rather not do it yourself, the Everlasting Dried Posy is made from stems that have been dried slowly, and it is ready to place as it arrives.
Dried flowers do not need water, but they do collect dust. A soft brush or a gentle blast from a hairdryer on a cool setting will freshen them. Keep them away from steam and direct sun, and they will hold their shape far longer than you might expect. A dried bunch also makes a good gift, especially when it is tied simply and left unwrapped.
