Growing flowers in your garden creates a beautiful setting for you to enjoy. But most blooms are short-lived. One way to extend the enjoyment of your flowers is to preserve them. This summer, I planted more flowers specifically for drying. That way I could use the dried flowers to provide long-lasting blooms.

Now that the garden is slowing down, it’s time to use some of the preserved flowers. This week I’m crafting with dried flowers for fun and to create autumn decor.

Why You Should Dry Your Flowers…

People have used dried flowers for thousands of years, from the ancient Egyptians to the Victorian age . Dried flowers went out of favor for a while, but now they’re making a comeback. Gardeners are realizing that dried flowers can extend the garden season.

There are many reasons to love dried flowers. They’re a reminder of your lovely garden. And they give you an outlet for crafting when it’s too cold to grow flowers outdoors. You can then use these crafts for holiday gifts, table decorations, home decor, and so much more.

How to Dry Your Flowers…

Drying flowers from your garden is easy to do. All you need is a warm place to hang your flowers for a few weeks. The flowers dry best when hung upside down. This keeps the stems straight while drying. You can also dry flowers using silica gel. Follow the directions on this post to learn all about drying your flowers… How to Dry Flowers From Your Garden This Year.

Best Flowers for Drying…

Some flowers are perfect for drying while others are not good options. The trick to long-lasting dried flowers is to choose the best flowers to dry. Here’s a list of some optimal flowers to grow for drying.

• Ammi
• Bachelors Buttons
• Calendula
• Coneflower
• Grasses
• Hydrangeas
• Larkspur
• Lavender
• Marigolds
• Salvia
• Statice
• Strawflowers
• Sweet William
• Tansy
• Zinnias

Don’t forget that you can also use seed heads and pods in your dried flower arrangements. Here are some of my favorites:

• Allium
• Love-in-a-Mist
• Pincushion Flower
• Poppy
• Rose Hips

Ideas for Crafting With Your Dried Flowers…

While dried flowers won’t last forever, if you preserve them correctly, they can keep their beauty longer than fresh flowers. This winter, when there’s not a bloom in sight, you can enjoy summer’s floral bounty in your home. The following list will give you some great ideas for using your dried flowers.

Ways to Use Dried Flowers

• Make a dried flower wreath
• Create a floral arrangement
• Decorate your tree for Christmas
• Use flowers as a tie on for packages
• Fill a bowl with decorative pot-pourri
• Create a wall hanging
• Make resin jewelry
• Design napkin rings for your holiday table
• Create floral crowns for celebrations such as weddings
• Fill a shadow box
• Make a fragrant sachet

Once you begin to save and use preserved flowers, you’ll see uses for them all around your home.

3 Fun and Easy Dried Flower Crafts to Make…

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Here are three simple crafts you can make with your dried flowers. If you didn’t dry any flowers from your garden this year, that’s okay. You can purchase dried flowers to use for these decorations. But if you love making crafts from dried flowers, then create a plan to grow more in your garden next year. For me, this year was an experiment, but next year I’m planning to double up on the varieties of flowers that I can preserve.

Dried Strawflower Balls

These strawflower decorations are so easy to make and they add a lovely touch to your autumn decor. All you need are some strawflower heads, 3-inch styrofoam balls and hot glue. Prepare the flowers by removing any stems from the flower. Place a dollop of hot glue on the styrofoam ball. Gently press the flower heads to the ball. Create a colorful pattern or just glue the flowers on randomly.

TIP: Use a small cup to hold your styrofoam ball as you work. This supports the ball and allows you a free hand for pressing the flowers into place. Let the top half of the ball harden before turning over to finish the bottom half.

Hydrangea Garland

For this craft, use hydrangea flower heads that have dried naturally on the shrub. Trim the stems about 4 to 5 inches long. Cut a piece of twine the length of your desired garland and then add an extra 12 inches. Tie a loop on both ends of your twine. Starting at one end, lay the first flower onto the twine. Use string or florist wire to attach the flower head to the twine. To create a sturdy garland, tie the stem to the twine in several places.

Lay a second hydrangea right next to the first flower and attach it to the twine. Be sure to cover the stem of the first hydrangea. Head all the stems in the same direction. Continue along the twine until you reach the end. For the final flower head, attach it so that the stem goes in the opposite direction, covering the previous stem. Now you’re ready to hang your garland.

Note: The flowers will continue to dry and become fragile. Consider hanging your garland while it is still fresh to minimize damage. Also, save a few flower heads to tuck into empty spaces that might appear when you hang the garland.

Candle Ring

Use dried flowers to create a candle ring. Because you’re using a flammable material, consider making these for battery powered candles or for candles in a jar. Start with a base such as a mini-grapevine wreath, a metal wreath form, or a styrofoam wreath.

For the grapevine wreath, just tuck the stems of the flowers into the wreath. Another option is to glue the flowers onto a styrofoam wreath. If using a metal wreath form, create small bunches of dried flowers and then wire them to the ring.

I made my candle ring using Virginia Creeper that’s growing in my yard. I cut 4 to 5 foot lengths and twisted them together to form the base. Then I tucked in my dried flowers… yarrow, craspedia and strawflower. I finished by adding berries from the Virginia Creeper.

An even easier option is to place a faux candle in a large glass vase and arrange the flowers around the base of the candle.

Crafting with dried flowers is a wonderful way to enjoy your beautiful garden all year long. The key is to plant flowers that are good choices for preserving. Then use those blooms to create gifts, home decor, and displays in your home.

This winter, when it’s cold and dreary outside, pull out your stash of dried flowers and be reminded of your beautiful garden. Crafting with your dried flowers will be the inspiration you need to make it through the winter season.