How to Dry Flowers: 6 Easy Methods for Preserving Blooms

Are you like me and hate to cut flowers because they last so much longer in the garden? Does it feel like you are cutting their life short and that breaks your heart? Let me show you how to dry flowers so that you can preserve these beautiful blooms for longer than you ever expected.

Drying flowers is so easy and there are a few ways to do it. I will take you step by step through the process, share with you all the flowers that dry well, common mistakes and so much more.

What are the best flowers to dry

The list is extensive and I have had personal success with almost all of them:

• statice
• roses
• strawflowers
• hydrangea
• poppy pods
• celosia
• lavender
• pansies, violets and violas
• zinnias
• scabiosa
• ornamental grasses
• baby’s breath
• yarrow
• love in a mist (nigella)
• delphiniums and larkspur
• cosmos
• eucalyptus
• stocks (harder due to the potential for mold but I have had good success)
• gomphrena
• marigolds
• lunaria
• petunias
• bacopa

What flowers do not dry well

Flowers and plants that have a high water content in general do not dry well. This would include dahlias, succulents, tulips and daffodils.

Also, flowers that have very thin petals often do not dry well because the petals become so thin, are extremely fragile and do not hold their color. Examples of these types of flowers are daisies, asters, columbine and sunflowers. I have never had luck with drying sunflowers because the petals all fall out. The heads though can be dried and used in arrangements as a unique wood like element.

Another flower that does not dry well is simply due to the unpleasant odor that it emits when drying and that is artemisia/wormwood. I have found that most of my dried flowers have an earthy smell to them. Lavender continues to smell great and roses and zinnias have little odor.

When to harvest flowers for drying

When the flowers are at the peak of their beauty is the best time to harvest them. That means when they are the freshest or just a day or two before they fully open.

I prefer to cut them in the morning before it heats up too much and on a day where the flowers are dry (ie it hasn’t rained overnight) because you don’t want hidden moisture in the petals that could cause mold or decay.

Don’t just think about your flower garden though because bouquets of flowers that you receive as gifts can also be great for drying. I like to enjoy my bouquets for as long as possible and then just before they start to deteriorate I will move them into the drying phase.

How to prepare flowers for drying

To prepare your flowers for drying, remove any blemished or torn petals.

Remove all or most of the greenery. Rose leaves can dry nicely and add interest but they will be brown or a brownish green so if you don’t like that, then remove all of the greenery.

Also trim the stems to a healthy part of the stem and leave them at a length you will be happy to work with in arrangements.

Now that you know how to prepare the flowers lets move on to the different options you have for drying them.

6 easy methods for how to dry flowers

There are a number of ways to dry flowers such as:

Air drying in a vase or on the stem

Hydrangea are one of the best for air drying upright and it is so easy:

• cut the hydrangea when they are full in size and the petals have turned slightly papery;
• remove all of the greenery;
• fill a vase with 2 inches of water and depending on the size of the vase, place 2 to 3 hydrangea in the vase with the stems in the water. Make sure not to overcrowd;
• place them in a dark place away from sunlight;
• leave them to dry out and this will take 2 to 3 weeks; and
• you can mist them with a light hairspray which is said to retain color but I prefer to leave mine natural as I find the hairspray sometimes attracts dust.

Below is a photo of the hydrangea bush in my garden that produces the best blooms for drying. Simply cut as long of a stem as you want, strip off the leaves and place in a vase with a bit of water.

In a few short weeks it will look like this.

Hydrangea, especially Panicle and Smooth varieties dry very well on the stem outside. I also find that zinnias dry well outside too because they retain their shape well. Just be sure to bring them in before they begin to lose petals or turn brown.

Remember those pink and white roses I showed you above, well here they are dried in a vase. As you will see the greenery has been removed and the roses are spaced apart for best airflow. You will also note that the flower heads have tilted down slightly. A dried rose in this position can be interesting in flower arrangements as you will get a different view of the shape of the flower.

Dried poppy pods are an example of flowers that do well drying right on the stem. I leave them as long as possible in the garden. This is what they look like growing.

Then all the pink petals fall off and you are left with a dried poppy head as you will see in the photo below.

Air drying hanging upside down

Most flowers dry well this way because the heads do not flop over and you can retain a nice shape. To air dry:

• pick the flowers as soon as they begin to bloom;
• make sure they are free from moisture;
• remove all greenery;
• bunch together in groups of 3 to 5 flowers making sure there will be air flow through the flowers;
• tie the base of the stems with twine or an elastic band;
• hang in a cool, dry, dark space away from sunlight that has good air flow;
• make sure the bundles of flowers are spaced at least six inches apart;
• it will take 2 to 4 weeks using this method.

Here are those same pink and white roses hanging to dry along with celosia. As you will see the heads are straight and not tilted down.

Flowers that do well using this method are roses, lavender, statice, celosia, yarrow, baby’s breath, grasses, eucalyptus, poppy pods and strawflowers.

With regard to strawflowers, I find it is best to pick them when they are just starting to barely open, other than that they turn into a puff of fluff.

Pressing flowers

There are multiple ways to press flowers but I find the tried and true way is to place flowers in between a large book that is lined with parchment paper or even paper towel.

Lay the flowers down with their petals spread out the way you want them to look when dried, then cover them with another piece of paper towel or parchment paper and then close the book on the flower.

If the book is not big, you may need to place a few more books on top. Thankfully I have this monster of a dictionary that does the trick!

Open the book every day to replace the paper which will take away moisture and help you to avoid the flower molding. As the drying procedure carries on and the flower becomes dry, you will not need to replace the paper anymore.

Below is a photo of stocks being dried. As you can see there are multiple layers of petals. This is the type of flower you want to be changing the paper daily with.

This method will also take two to four weeks.

There are also other methods of pressing:

• flower press;
• microwave; and
• iron.

To learn all about these methods of pressing flowers, I have a post dedicated to this method. Just click here.

Drying with desiccant (silica) or kitty litter

This is a new method I tried this summer and I am hooked! What you will need are the following:

• fresh flowers;
• airtight container;
• silica gel/desiccant or even kitty litter.

The steps are as follows:

• remove all damaged petals from the flowers and all greenery;
• trim the stems so that they will fit in your air tight container;
• place a layer of silica gel in the bottom of your air tight container;
• gently place the flowers on top of the silica gel;

• very delicately pour more silica around and over the flower – make sure not to let the silica to come down heavily on the flower as that will flatten the petals. For a flower with many petals like a zinnia, you should place the silica around the layers of petals and gently push the silica inwards so that it gets in between the petals and allows the flower to keep its full shape;

• continue covering with silica until the flower is fully covered;
• place the airtight lid on and put in a dry, dark place;
• when fully dry which can take about 1 to 2 weeks, gently dust off the top layers of silica and carefully pull the flower out.

Below is a photo of a very full zinnia emerging from silica gel. Take note of how the silica is in between all of the petals.

Below are zinnias that have been dried in silica. Look how they retained their color and all of their petals are attached.

This method worked perfectly for me with flowers that have multi-layers of petals such as zinnias and even dahlias as you can see in the photos above and below.

The dahlia below looks exactly like it did the day I put in in the silica. Honestly, I am in shock!

It also worked well for delicate cosmos and scabiosa and the flowers kept their perfect shape.

When you first look at the photo below, I am sure you will think those are fresh flowers…they are not. They are all dried flowers that I put in silica gel.

Stunning aren’t they?

Look at the dried scabiosa – they look like they are straight out of the garden.

Drying flowers in silica would be the optimal way to dry flowers if you were then going to put them in resin.

Drying in a microwave

This method is very similar to drying with desiccant but the process is shorter. Here are the steps:

• removal all greenery and damaged petals;
• place a layer of desiccant/silica gel in a microwave safe container;
• place the flower on top of the desiccant and then carefully cover the flower up with more dessicant;
• place the container in the microwave with a cup of water. The cup of water is to keep the flower from drying out too much;
• turn the microwave on for 30 second increments until the petals feel dry;
• remove the container from the microwave but leave the flower covered up for 24 hours; and
• gently brush off the desiccant.

Drying in an oven

I have not tried this method but hear it works well for drying flowers to be used as potpourri. Here are the steps:

• pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees;
• place a drying rack on top of a cookie sheet;
• place the flowers on top of the drying rack and place in the middle of the oven;
• check in one hour. If the petals are dry, they are ready so remove from the oven and allow to cool.

How long does it take for flowers to dry

The length of time to dry is dependent on the type of flower, the method and how dense the flower is. The drying time of flowers can be as little as one day to 4 weeks.

How to tell when flowers are fully dry

When the flower petals feel papery dry that is when they are fully dry. Not just the edges of the petals, all the way down to the thickest part of the flower should feel dry. There should be no softness or flop to the flower. The stems should also be stiff and be a brown or brownish green color. The colors of the blooms may have also faded.

How to store dried flowers

Dried flowers can be stored in tupperware style containers that will not allow moisture in. They can also be stored in a cardboard box in a very dry location or even in file folders as long as the folder is sturdy so that the flowers do not get broken.

The key is to keep them dry, cool and away from sunlight.

Common mistakes to avoid when drying flowers

While drying flowers is easy there are some common mistakes that can be made such as:

• using damp flowers (ie ones that have dew on them) especially if you are pressing them;
• trying to dry in a damp place such as a basement or near a bathroom with little air ventilation and high humidity;
• not changing out the paper frequent enough when pressing and then the flowers become moldy;
• over microwaving the flowers which results in them burning, losing color, etc;
• not tying the stems up tight enough when hang drying them and the flowers slipping out and breaking on the ground;
• drying in a sunny location as this will fade the flowers;
• harvesting flowers too late as the color has already faded and the petals will likely fall out;
• pouring the silica onto delicate petals too quickly and breaking the petals; and
• storing in a damp place.

What can you do with dried flowers

There are so many things you can do with dried flowers and I have begun to create dedicated posts on all the options. Where I have a post that you can see the project, there will be a clickable link “Just click here”.

As I create more projects, I will update this post so come back and check if you are looking for more inspiration.

Pressed flower tiered tray

Pressed flower bouquet

Dried flower garland

Pressed flower suncatcher – just click here

Pressed flower wedding artwork

Dried and pressed flowers in candles

Dried allium used as a decorative element

Dried flowers and grass casual arrangement

3D art with dried flowers – just click here

Pressed flowers on curtains – just click here

Bunnies made from poppy pods – just click here

Dried flowers used as natural Christmas decor – just click here

Pretty lavender book mark – just click here

Lavender Blossom Bath Salts – just click here

Here are some other ideas that I will try soon and post photos of as I complete them:

Potpourri

Dried flower wreath

Dried flower swag

Dried flower wall hanging

Pressed flowers on tea lights

Pressed flowers in resin coasters

Dried flowers in resin vase

Simple dried bouquet

Drying flowers – it’s easy, fun and I hope you will give it a try!

Drying flowers is one of the simplest ways to preserve the beauty of the garden and enjoy it long after the growing season has ended. With just a little patience and care, fresh blooms can be transformed into delicate arrangements, wreaths or garlands that bring natural charm into your home.

Whether you are drying flowers for crafts or simply to remember a beautiful moment from your garden or an even, this timeless practice allows the colors and textures of the garden to linger well beyond summer.

If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy these ones

How to grow dahlias from seed – just click here

How to make the best wall planter – just click here

Why you should have zinnias in your garden – just click here

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