If you’re growing a cutting garden, then consider preserving some of your flowers to use later for crafts and home decor. One easy way to preserve your floral bounty is by drying the flowers. Learn how to dry flowers with these simple ideas.

Over the years, many people have replaced dried flowers with faux stems. Faux flowers are lovely and so lifelike these days. Because of this, many people think of dried flowers as old-fashioned and not worthy of saving. However, drying flowers is a great way to preserve the beauty of your garden.

There’s something special about creating with your homegrown floral stems. You can include these lovely dried flowers in your home decor, add to seasonal displays, and even give them away as gifts. Once dried, flowers can last for many years.

Good Flowers to Dry

As you begin to prepare your flowers for drying remember to start with your best flowers. You don’t want to select flowers that are past their prime. They won’t dry well or last as long.

Be sure to harvest your flowers when they’re fully hydrated. Just like you pick your fresh flowers in the cool mornings or evenings, this is a good time to harvest your flowers for drying.

Here’s a list of flowers that do well with drying…

• Astilbe
• Baby’s Breath
• Bachelor Buttons
• Black-eyed Susan
• Celosia
• Coneflower
• Globe Amaranth
• Hydrangea
• Larkspur
• Lavender
• Love-in-a-mist (seed heads)
• Pansy
• Pom pom dahlias
• Poppy (seed heads)
• Roses and rose hips
• Sage
• Salvia
• Strawflower
• Sweet William
• Tansy
• Yarrow

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How to Dry Flowers

There are several methods for drying your summer flowers. The best techniques maintain the natural color and shape of the flowers. Keep in mind that the colors of your flowers will vary when dried. The air-drying techniques give you more vintage, muted shades while the quicker methods keep the colors vibrant.

Pressing flowers is one way to dry your flowers, however, you lose the shape of your blooms. The flowers are flattened as they dry. You can find directions for pressed flowers in this post: How to Make a Flower Press.

Here are a few options for drying your stems to maintain their natural shape…

Hang to Dry

One of the simplest method is to bundle the stems together and hang them upside down. This is quick to do. All you need are your plant stems, rubber bands, and a place to hang your flowers.

Follow these easy steps to hang dry:

1. Cut your flowers, leaving the stems as long as possible. Remove the lower leaves on the stems.
2. Bundle the flowers together into small bunches. Wrap the stems with a small rubber band to hold them together. Be sure that the rubber band is tight. As the stems dry, they will shrink and your bundles could fall apart if the rubber band is too loose.
3. Hang your flower bundles upside down from a rack or on the wall. This doesn’t have to be strictly utilitarian. You can hang them from a vintage garden gate on your wall, hang them from the ceiling, or even on a decorative chain. You have so many fun options for hanging. Tie the bundles on with twine, use clothespins, or clips to attach the bundles.
4. Allow drying for several weeks in a warm, dark environment such as a garage or garden shed. When ready to use, the petals and leaves will be papery in texture. Just snip your rubber bands and carefully separate the stems.

Dry Upright in a Vase

This is another very simple technique. Cut your flower stems and remove the lower leaves. Place your flowers in a vase with a very small amount of water… just an inch or two at the bottom. While you’re enjoying your vase of flowers, the water evaporates. Set the vase aside and in a few weeks, the flowers will be perfectly dried and ready to use in your crafts.

This is my favorite way to dry hydrangeas, but not all flowers can be dried this way. Flowers with weak stalks and heavy heads will not dry well in a vase. Here’s a list of some flowers that can be dried with this technique:

• Hydrangea
• Bachelor buttons
• Baby’s breath
• Grasses
• Roses
• Sunflowers

Dry Using Silica Gel

Silica gel helps to pull moisture out of your flowers, giving them a more lifelike appearance. It works best with large, sturdy flowers such as roses, zinnias, and dahlias. Purchase silica gel from the craft store or online.

1. Place a layer of silica gel on the bottom of a container large enough to hold your flowers.
2. Trim your flowers so they have about 1/2 inch stalk. Place face up on the silica gel layer.
3. Gently cover the flower completely with the silica gel. You will need to bury the flower with silica gel. Cover your container.
4. After three to four days, check the flowers to see if the petals are dry and papery. If so, carefully remove your flowers. Gently blow off any silica residue. You can also use a craft paintbrush to help remove the silica gel.
5. Save your silica gel for drying more flowers.

Dry in the Microwave

It is possible to dry flowers in your microwave if you’re in a hurry. The easiest way to do this is microwaving in the silica gel. It’s best to microwave the same type of flowers at one time.

1. Pour a thin layer of silica gel in a microwave-safe container. Place your flower heads on top and cover with silica gel.
2. Microwave at 30-second intervals on full power, checking for doneness.
3. Remove the blossoms as they dry and place them on a plate to cool.
4. Continue microwaving until all the flower heads are dry.

Oven Drying Method

You can dry your flowers in the oven. This works best with heavier flower heads. Experiment with different types of flowers to find what works best for you. Here’s how to dry in your oven…

1. Trim your flowers of stems leaving about 1/2 inch. The stems would dry and burn long before the flower heads dry.
2. Place your flower heads on an oven-proof baking rack. Be sure to space them so there’s air circulation around each flower head. Set the rack on a baking sheet.
3. Place the baking sheet in your oven and “bake” at 150-200 degrees for 1-2 hours. Bake at the lowest temperature for your oven.
4. Check your flowers every 30 minutes for doneness. When the flowers are dry and papery, remove them. Larger, thicker flowers will take longer to dry than smaller flowers.

Maintaining and Storing Your Dried Flowers

When using your dried flowers, be sure to display your creations away from bright sunlight. A cool, dry environment will help to preserve the colors and quality of your dried flower creations.

One way to help maintain the color of your dried flowers is to spray them with a Dried Floral Preservative. You can purchase products specifically for this. However, many people use unscented hairspray. Just give a spritz with one of these products to your finished creation.

If you’re saving your dried flowers to use later, then you want to store them appropriately. Separate the flower stems and place each flower on tissue paper lying flat. Carefully wrap and store in a cardboard box or in a plastic container.

Another option is to wrap your bundle of flowers in newspapers. Then store them in a cool, dry area such as a closet or storage cupboard. You want to keep your dried flowers away from lots of moist air or high heat while in storage.

What to Do With Your Dried Flowers

Once you have your dried flowers, there are several things you can use them for. My favorite uses are to make floral decorations such as wreaths and dried arrangements. Here’s a quick list of some ideas:

• Wreaths
• Garlands
• Dried arrangements
• Potpourri mixes
• Decorations for candles
• Gift box decorations
• Gift basket attachments
• Frame embellishment
• Gift tags
• Floral pictures

The enjoyment of your garden doesn’t have to end when the season is over. You can dry your flowers over the summer and early autumn. Then use those dried stems to create wonderful displays and craft projects throughout the fall and winter.

Drying flowers is not only fun, it’s easy to do. Once you get started drying, experiment with flowers in your garden to see what dries well. You’ll have everlastings that you can enjoy year-round without the expense of those faux flowers.