by Ruth Greb

Created on: September 20, 2008   Last Updated: November 05, 2011

Drying flowers is a very rewarding experience when you choose the right flowers and dry them in a way that preserves their color and shape. Of course, they are going to look different since the purpose of drying is to free them of the water in their cells so each cell will shrink. That gives them the neat appearance of dried flowers.

To choose the flowers, pick them later in the day once the dew is dried off them and before they are fully opened. That way they have the best possibility for color preservation and have a head start on the drying process. If you are drying by bunching and hanging, keep the bunches small with only a few stems so the flowers do not crowd each other and become misshaped. It is important that they dry fairly fast so they do not mold and keeping the bunches small helps with that. It also allows larger flowers such as roses or peonies to dry quickly where there are the most petals. They should be hung in a dark, dry area with good air circulation. Keeping the bunches small also helps with the air circulation. Also, it is easier to separate the individual stems, once dried, if they are not clumped tightly together.

I have dried many flowers using this method and usually have pretty good results although no matter how you try, roses will turn brown in time. I am frequently seen in my area along the roadside collecting weeds to hang and dry as well. I try all kinds of plants including grasses and wild flowers and find there are many plants that dry quite well.

For hydrangias, it is best to leave them on the vine until they feel like parchment. They then dry quickly and keep their color. If you pick them too early, they generally just shrivel up. They can be hung upside down or left as a boquet while drying. The pretty cobalt blue hydrangia generally does not dry well so I cut those into smaller flower sections and dry in silica gel to preserve their color and texture.

Silica gel is not a gel, but crystals that you pack around flowers to draw the moisture from them. In this I dry the smaller blue hydrangias, pansies, daisies and other flatter flowers.

Large daisies are easy to dry by placing in a warm place upside down on a paper towel and leaving until dry. Using this method I have dried Queen Anne Lace, gerbera daisies and sunflowers. Before I retired I left my car in a park and ride all day and caught a bus to work. My car would get very warm inside from sitting in the sun all day so I figured I could take advantage of that heat and

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