Have you ever felt forlorn when the beautiful bouquet of flowers on the dining table is no longer fresh? I love arranging flowers with blooms from our garden, and I can’t stand throwing them into the compost when they begin to wilt and droop. I also miss the pop of lively color in the late fall and winter, when the rest of the world is bleak looking. Thankfully, there’s an easy remedy for my yearning: drying flowers.
There are so many flower varieties that dry well, ensuring everlasting bouquets all year round. From little gomphrena and strawflower blooms that perfectly keep their color, to dahlias that dry with a unique form and seed pods that add lovely texture, the possibilities are nearly endless. It’s the kind of hobby that I enjoy, since it’s simple and produces results that will last a long time. As I’ve experimented with different types of flora and ways to dry flowers, I’ve learned some handy tricks to preserve blooms.
Some flowers dry better than others, and moisture content is key. Thin plant material will dry far easier than thick and fleshy material. As an exaggerated example, ornamental grasses will dry better than celery, if the celery dries at all (though why anyone would dry celery for anything other than food preservation is beyond me). While the dried grass would look very similar to its fresh state, the celery might dry unevenly and unattractively or even mold. Plants that naturally have less moisture are also more likely to keep their color when dried. I mentioned gomphrena and strawflowers above, but other flowers that keep their color during the drying process include globe thistles, celosia, amaranth, hydrangeas, lavender, bachelor’s buttons (cornflowers) and more.
Grasses and other leafy plants are worth drying to add some eye-catching texture in dried flower arrangements. Any arrangement with some grasses, foliage and seed pods will look more natural than an arrangement of pure flowers, and dried bouquets are no exception. Dusty miller keeps its shape and color nearly perfectly, while grasses often turn into a light brown color perfect for winter or fall bouquets. Dried seed pods, such as those from the flowers love-in-a-mist, poppies, peonies, cosmos, coneflowers and clematis also look beautiful. Whatever flora you choose to dry, make sure it is in peak condition: not fully open or mature and blemish free.
Some flowers simply will not dry well, but many unexpected flowers can create unique shapes or colors if you give them a chance. For example, I particularly like to hang dry dahlias, especially ball type varieties. Looking at them, I’d never guess that they were once lush and colorful. The color is often muted and darker when dried, but they have such a lovely shape that I just can’t resist them. Water lily type dahlias dry looking a bit like pom poms. Zinnias also turn out different each time for me. I recommend experimenting with any flower or plant that strikes your fancy, and if you don’t like the way it turns out, or it wilts, you can just toss it in the compost.
One of the tried-and-true methods to dry flowers is by hanging them in an airy place until the moisture completely evaporates from them. I first tried this with a handful of gomphrena from my family’s spiral garden. It’s hard to go wrong with hanging, but sometimes certain flowers don’t dry as well with this method. Cosmos for example seem to always wilt.
If you want to let flowers naturally dry, and don’t have a spot to hang them, an alternative is letting them dry in a vase. Whenever I make arrangements, I often take out flowers as they begin to wilt, leaving the flowers that don’t wilt in their places until they’re dry. This works particularly well with small flowers like gomphrena. I also have a jar set aside in my room for flowers like zinnias and dahlias. Several of my dahlia stems this past year were too short to be useful in arrangements, but I could save them for later projects by tucking them into the jar and leaving them to dry.
Whatever method of air drying you choose to use, it’s beneficial to give the flowers a drink before dooming them to desiccation. This helps to retain color.
The first article I ever wrote for The WON detailed how to make pressed flower bookmarks. They’re so fun that I’ve made them a few times since then, but pressing flowers isn’t limited to page holders. You can make entire pages of art, or decoupage pressed flowers onto boxes, lamp shades, and more. This is a great drying method to do with kids too. Read my family’s instructions here, or check out Barbara Baird’s fast version here.
You might recognize the word ‘silica’ from the little desiccant packets included in various product bags, like clothing. To dry with silica, you can either purchase it from craft stores, or you can save these little packets like I did. I did get some strange looks from my family whenever I found particularly large silica packets, though. Maybe they thought I was going to use silica for something more useful than flower drying. For me, it was exciting.
Drying with silica gel is the go-to method to dry flowers for a lot of people. It helps retain form and color on larger blooms that don’t air dry as well, but it can also be used for small blooms that would otherwise wilt. Always wear a mask, goggles and gloves for safety when working with silica and other desiccants. Simply add a thin layer of desiccant to a container of your choice (I used a disposable plastic takeout container), add your flowers face down and cover with the remaining desiccant. Check on the flowers every few days. Once they’re dry, remove them from the container and use a paintbrush to remove any stubborn desiccant remains. As with all flowers, store in a dry place until you’re ready to use them.
A dehydrator is always a good option for drying plants, especially if you have one with different heat settings. My family’s dehydrator has named settings for different materials, like meat, spices and vegetables, along with temperature markings. The main problem with a dehydrator is that it may not be able to accommodate longer stems and bigger blooms. Because I like using long stems in arrangements, I tend to save my dehydrator for vegetable preservation and drying plants for herbal remedies.
Dried flowers can be used in so many scenarios: wreaths, bouquets, flower crowns, corsages, boutonnieres, or whatever strikes your fancy. Just store your delicate flowers wrapped in tissue paper or something similar in a dark, sheltered place until you need them. You could also leave them in permanent bouquets scattered around the house or your bedroom like I do. Let your mind run wild. Flowers are meant to be enjoyed, and drying blooms is a wonderful way to preserve them.
"Anna" is a teenage girl who loves to write, read, and do just about anything artsy. She enjoys writing about nature crafts and her experiences while learning to hunt and cook wild game. Anna firmly believes that backyard chickens lay the best eggs and that spending time outside with her flock every morning will start the day off happily. She is extremely grateful to her best friend, who inspired her to really take writing seriously. You can find her lost in her latest idea or listening to her sister "Rose" read book quotes. View all posts by Anna
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