Beautiful article with so much help as always Erin. Thank you, as always, for your inspiration and sharing your knowledge. Many years ago I went through the dried-flower phase of my gardening experiences. Blackberry lily is a favorite. I do have a small rose garden and love the aroma when they dry. We are not opening our shop again, lol. We have a dream to start our own micro cut flower and lavender farm. I even dry red chilies varieties and tuck in some of my wreaths and swags for gifts. I havent had a garden for yearsand with your inspiration Im going to plant my first cut flower garden next spring. Prior to signing up for your online course, which was wonderful, I drew up some ideas using dried flowers in different ways and I hope in the future I will be able to use them. I grow a few yarrows and hydrangeas Annabelle and limelight, that I hope to dry this year. back in the day my favorites were peonies, bundled and hanging in my barn, I would come thru with a blow dryer and give each one a shot when 2/3 dried. When we were starting out with drying, we kept things easy and simply hung the harvested bunches upside down in the back of the garage, where it gets really hot and dry in the summer. Harvest and use practically forever. . It was a way of supplementing money for our two daughters college. State County. Ive grown and successfully dried many flowers, grasses and wheats in silica, glycerin, or by air drying. Can you detail the process of using silica gel for drying flowers? I found it interesting that you mentioned strawflowers and hydrangea. I much prefer the fresh flowers over the dry, however, the pics of the wreaths in your post are so lovely and we enjoyed our dried eucalyptus/globe amaranth arrangements all winter long. I have sprayed the blooms now to help prevent moisture affecting them. But after thinking about it, the crafts werent bad but people just kept them too long. The celosia dry well too. You always give good advice and so glad you live in the Skagit Valley which is one of the most marvelous places on Gods green earth.we moved back to this area after years away and knew we wanted to retire here and now we doyeah! It amuses me that dried flowers are becoming popular again as I used to sell tons of them, as well as dried wreathes and arrangements. Im wondering what your thoughts are on glycerin and silica for flower preservation. Seeds are very slow to germinate and take 45 days to sprout, so be patient. They got a bad rap because grandmas everywhere left theirs hanging on their wall for 10+ years. Anyways, thanks for the post- it always excites me to see more people working with dried flowers! I was with you thinking that dried flowers were totally naff. I currently have a display of a dozen or so 34 bread seed poppies tucked in a narrow vase that is nestled inside a 5-gallon crock. You have inspired me to return to dried flowers. I was shocked how well they held their colors & shapes. Great article! My question is do you have any experience with this method and can it be used with other flower varieties? They have yet to bloom, but they will. I detest fake flowers so Ive always dried flowers for winter decorating. Theyre one of my favorites. To dry them, hang freshly cut stems upside down in a warm dark place for 2 to 3 weeks or until they are firm to the touch. Over time I have learned the timing necessary to harvest for successful drying.a challenge in itself on the westcoast of Ireland.love that challenge though.as I run out of them too soon Ive decided to prepare a place in my Garden for next year and grow specifically.im looking forward to that. I just moved into my first home and has room for flower garden. I experimented too, this past year, with dried flowers and found that the straw flowers dry beautifully! Just lovely! I taught classes in wreath making in our old barn in late summer and early fall and taught dry flower design in evening classes in a local high school. Nothing at all ugly about dried or preserved flowers! Thanks for this post. Thanks! Its all so inspirational! Delightful little blue flower that moved in the breeze, but stunning wee round seedpod that dried very well and remains good as we enter spring again. Thank you, Erin, for helping make the world a more beautiful place! I only grew the peach colored strawflower this year, so next year I will grow one of every color! I have had excellent luck drying dahlias this year! Celosias often last 2 weeks as fresh flowers. I wish I could share a photo. I have one question on the gomphrena, its the one you never actually gave instruction too. I hope you are blessed with many more years of success. Lets see what I can create! Strawflowers (pictured above) are a traditional standby, but the gorgeous new colors and varieties make them seem entirely different from those 80s flowers, and they actually look incredible when mixed with fresh blooms. I cant wait for your blog on keeping seeds from your own flower beds & the best way to store them over winter. Also, do you know anywhere to get German statice seed? I dried many flowers last year but didnt get the opportunity to use most of them. I cant wait to dig in with dried flowers because they look great in wreaths and want to do those in the fall and christmas season. I adore dried flowers and used to work on a farm that produced a lot of them and I just loved making wreaths. They are nice for swags and garlands. Give it a try! I worked with drying flowers for years. Dorte. Flower confetti. Harvest when all flowers on a stem have appeared. Roses also are wonderful dried . Thanks! Ill be buying my seeds from you when that day comes. I have been drying flowers since the 80s and still enjoy them. Freshly harvested flowers can last up to 2 weeks in the vase, and dried flowers look nearly the same as fresh ones. This is a great share thank you. Im responding to Anitas comment. Do you have any suggestions on the best way to dry flowers in a place like this? Karen Ackerman, Erin~ Again, thank you for sharing. Be sure to hang your bunches upside down while they are drying because the flower heads will be fixed in whatever position they were in when they dried. The green stalk will turn olive green, and be softend. Flowers have always had a place in my heart. I kind of feel the same as the opinion that dried flower crafts in the 80s werent appealing. The fresh flowers baked in there and only lasted a few days at most, but my dried arrangements lasted all winter until I had fresh blooms to replace them with. Any tips would be appreciated. During the fall I love to mix dried with fresh items. Thanks for the information. So glad you discovered and are enjoying them.. Loving that your exploring this option again with fresh eyes! Harvest when the seed pods are fully formed and the top blooms have faded for a 7- to 10-day vase life. As a dried foliage, its a favorite in autumn wreaths. One bit of advice I can share for straw flowers and amobium, cut and bunch them for drying when they bud is clearly showing color but NOT open and exposing any of the center, because they continue to open once hung to dry. I love dried flower arranging! Flower heads get bigger over time, so pick when they are the size that you want, but before they go to seed. I live in zone 6 or 7, depending on the mapin western N.C. Mountains. It was the most interesting thing that happened to us, although we learned everything as we went no one was doing it so much ,I love this. Im also a huge dried flower fan. This year Ive added gomphera (sp? Ornamental oregano, a low growing plant that can drape, has eucalyptus-like foliage & dusky-rose unusual blooms that dry beautifully. Wow. I gave two huge boxes of dried goodies to my friend Nina who makes the sweetest little dried wreaths that she sells at craft fairs. Great blog post! Thanks, Lynn, [] https://www.floretflowers.com/discovering-dried-flowers/ []. Were going to use them in value-added products like salt scrubs or potpourri for farmers market. I know their color would probably be better in a dark place, but this is fun and whimsical. I have felt the same as youeven the thought of dried flowers brought me back to a time of crinkly, yellowed roses and other dried flowers that truly look terrible. I was shocked! Its the full circle of life. I made a raffia and dried floral arrangement in High School from my step mom and just was in awe at how beautiful something can be when dead. I dont think their tacky at all and bring cheer in winter when not much is blooming. I have also dried pussy willows for use in tall vases. Please note the correction: I live in Western NC as well, in the mountains in Haywood County. I love wreaths of artemisia & sweet Annie. The dried arrangements were also a great solution for this business, which is always hot (thank you, bread-baking ovens) and has lots of south-facing windows. My favorite flowers to dry are zinnias. I am unable to focus a lot of my energy on developing into cut flowers and bouquet making, as I am already growing produce/herbs/seedling for our farmers market. Can I still use them this year or will they be unreliable and fragile? Cut fresh, eucalyptus is a long-lasting foliageoften 2 weeks in the vase. Thanks! Thanks for pushing into the trend. Pods/hydrangea/peperonia/babys breath. As a buyer and retail shop owner/interior designer Ive been keenly watching this lovely trend sneaking its way back into decor the last few years. Purple are the most stunning. The blue-green macrophylla varieties are also gorgeous, and easy to dry. I look forward to learning more about what varieties you have success with and maybe some tips for DIY. Your friend makes beautiful wreaths and I would love to watch her make some. Have always loved dried flowers. Dried flowers and grasses will be fun to combine with the corn. Compact plants produce graceful gray-green blades with elongated heads that turn a delicate cream color and soften as they age. Its incredible what beauty can be created with them. Dried bouquets wrapped in white tissue and the flower heads packed into small jars as reminiscent of summer! Im really trying to do this this year , your hints about when to cut them was winderful ! This Spring Im introducing bread seed poppies, sea holly, bunny tail grass, strawflower, love-in-a-mist, yarrow, celosia, silver dollar/money plant, scabiosa sternkugel, Chinese lanterns and craspedia from seeds (some purchased from you). I love preserving flowers and have had some success with zinnias and globe amaranth. Yellow mums really turned out so well!! https://www.tysonsflorist.com/flower-delivery-vienna-va, This is so exciting! Now if I can just get my strawflowers to grow! Have always loved making dried wreaths. Love Terrain but some would think that their high-priced wreaths are ugly. . The eucalyptus is a lovely addition, and Siris wreaths are way beyond the 80s look. Your post was timed perfectly! I have a local greenhouse start my plants. The zinnias were still so beautiful even dried. A friend of mine dries zinnias and dahlias and they surprisingly keep their color and look great. Thank you to you and your team for sharing your passion! I dried flowers the first time around in the 1980s. Hello Erin, Im wondering if you are selling your dried flowers? Perfect for a mothers day or valentines gift. Kay Decker Our shop was open for 17 years (80s-90s) and closed as the trend faded and our Penn State extension agent at the time mentored us into the fresh cut world. We match climate conditions to a large extent. Thanks. I too made wreaths, floral arrangements in the 80s and sold them to shops and did craft shows in the fall. What I can share is the fact that so many are afraid to dry leaves, I often read people stating that leaves turn brown and fall apart when you dry them After almost a year of trial and error, I think Ive mastered the leaf I wish I could post some pictures here I did leaves from a pear tree they are absolutely gorgeous and shiny after drying them in silica for 24 hours no longer , they came out perfect the only thing I had to do was seal them with clear spray paint semi gloss Ive also learned that if you love hydrangeas and you would like to dry them let them dry partially on the stem on the bush before cutting them and finishing the drying process If youd like to see some of my work unfortunately I dont take the best photos I need to get better at that but I am recently a member of Instagram and it is called Loras lemon leaf company I also have a business page on Facebook please keep in mind that both of these are brand new and I am still learning to navigate I will be putting more photos on soon I just made my first three winter/holiday wreaths Im very excited they are starting to sell and I must say the style of your friends wreaths are right up my alley I would look forward to hopefully getting into one of her workshops as well thank you for your time and your passion LAura. It was quite an adventure. We stopped when we got older because it was a two person operation and there was no local help available. I love this!! The dried yarrow complements autumn decor beautifully. After all, it is nature, and there are treasures awaiting in the dried realm as well. Strawflowers are my second favorite but timing is everything as I dont like when you can see the center, that is when you waited too long to harvest. Baptisia pods are also nice added to the mix as well as the varieties youve highlighted. Siris wreaths are indeed magnificent. We made thousands of wreaths, container arrangements, christmas ornaments, and every imaginable thing you could do with drieds. Now all of a sudden they are cool again! I love making my own wreaths. Thanks so much for your brilliance, Good luck! Last Valentines day my fiance sent me flowers at work that had pink zinnias with yellow centers. Hi Erin have dried a few things over the years of playing with dried flowers. Violets are so dainty and the deep purple with dark yellow centers really keep their color. The tall, sturdy plants are smothered in beautiful silvery seed pods that arent prone to wilting or shattering. I love the new colors for statice and strawflowers that have become available in the last few years. If you know of a source for artemesia silver king, Id love to have some for wreathes and as a bouquet filler. It mixes well with everything and looks fantastic dried. It is an older book but still available ( on Amazon) and packed with good information and inspiring ideas! I dont know of anywhere to purchase dried flowers. Have fun! The blue fades into this blueish sage green color. In the nineties I would grown and dry materials, make them into bouquets, posies, wreaths, etc, and sell them at craft fairs. I gave two huge boxes of dried goodies to my friend Nina who makes the sweetest little dried wreaths that she sells at craft fairs. Like the look of lavender dried but seems like it fades quite a lot. Would you do a short teaching lesson for saving the seeds for the home flower gardener? The centers on both of these often turn dark or black and look unsightly, in my opinion. I also like to embellish the wreaths with dried yarrow the traditional mustard yellow yarrow retains its color beautifully if hung when fully opened. They were so saturated and added such a nice pop to the arrangement. I have to say, Erin, I disliked them, too. I am adding strawflowers and more globe aramanth in spring garden. I truly love dried flowers as much as fresh cut! Hi Erin and staff, Here is a question on your dried flower blog :in the photo on the blog page about dried flowers, can you tell me what the airy brown plants are with the pink flowers, they are at the back of the photo, hanging all in a line, upside down. I would suggest picking blooms when they are about three-quarters of the way open. This season We are growing lots of straw flowers. I also have a wreath of cedar, juniper, eucalyptus, protea and spruce that dried beautifully. Im so glad you posted this! I love drying Hydrageas. This year I stumbled upon dries zinnias working well as well, when I went to dry them for seeds. Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before last frost; transplant out when all danger of frost has passed. from a small scale flower farmer in Denmark Tina in Montana. Larkspur can be planted in fall in even the coldest corners of the world. Pam, Erin, I live in Australia and am a great fan of your newsletters.I just love the beauty of your photo..just luscious. Weve been experimenting with drying just our blooms that we cant sell (such as stems too short, crooked or broken). Well this has made me decide to clean out the shed just to have the floor space to get a ladder in there to hang flowers! I am in the Sierra foothills of California and I have been growing flowers for drying and using in wreaths for many years. Love this article and that dried flowers are seeing their day. Advice please? Rattle Poppy pods are as large as limes! I volunteer with Weed Ladies in Naperville, IL, who are celebrating 50 yrs of what started as drying weeds from their gardens. We dried fruit slices and even some veggie slices in a dehydrator, dried sunflower and double hollyhock heads also in the dehydrator. Honestly, I felt like you did at firstoh nonot the tacky 80s thing again! Frankly I found myself wondering when the Precious Moments figurines might start popping up in my Pinterest feed! Is there any other preparation to that flower before drying. A particularly abundant harvest of Coral Fountain amaranthus I grew last year is still hanging around the studio and often gets tucked into our hotel arrangements and photo shoots. Mop heads seem to vary, some dry, some dont. I air dry the faded flowers. The spray somehow dissolved and totally disappeared all traces of dust. in silica gel and then casts the dried flowers in epoxy resin! We continued to dry whatever was left from fresh sales (cockscomb, silver king artemesia, grasses, hydrangea, etc.) So hoping for success using your method. Do zinnias dry well? I tried drying some red spike amaranth last fall, but it faded a lot (and dropped a ton of seed all over the place). I think I am moving toward holding workshops. I even found several birds nest in them that I incorporated in the the wreaths. I have been waiting for it to catch on again since its so natural!! And, after all the work, when arranged and used under normal living conditions they soon become dusty and then the pleasure is gone because there is no way to clean the fragile things. Happy drying! http://Www.agilegoatflowerfarm.com Weve made everything from arch decor, table arrangements, jewelry, bridal bouquets, etc. Glad that dried flowers are coming back in fashion. But like you I have had a rethink as Im sure they are overdue for a revival. I ordered a few flower and eucalyptus seeds, and you gave me a few more to add to my seed trays! In Bloom Flower Farm. Pearly Everlasting is another special wild find I treasure having around! They take on a new beauty as they dry. too soon, they will revert to a tight petal, too late is well, too late! It is always good to learn and try something new! Stems dry easily; just hang them upside down in a warm, dry place. From Florets seed inventory I have dried yarrow and zinnias using just plain air drying and silica sand. I never believed in coincidences. One of my dream florist who is a master in making dryed arrangements is the French @atelierlonicera a true feast to the soul (just like everything you do, Im a totally Floret fan). It worked beautifully and seeing those little petals fall on them was so pretty!! I tuck them in spring heart wreaths or for gift tag embellishments. Everything! Michle Adams, Picabo, Idaho. I started drying, both just hanging from the rafters and silica gel, and sold my products at craft shows and my own open house. I grow many other flowers with no problems. We dont have the dry summers that you do out west. I have always loved dried flowers (even in the 80s:). Grown for their unique textural blooms, celosias are vigorous and free-flowering. (the part of the plant that protect the flowers ,the actualy flowers are tiny white or yellow)will not be affected by the glyserin. Ive enjoyed drying hydrangea and weaving them into autumn wreaths over the years. Your blogs, emails are the first thing I read in the morning and I cant wait for the next. Your topics are always so on pointthanks for another great post! It was just last week that I finally threw the vase away with the dried out flowers. Have been looking for a source to buy these more colorful dried blooms. I even have an ornamental, small glass container with the tiny, delicate, miniature rose buds in it for decor in my office. I have been contemplating dried flowers for weeks because Id like to hang flowers and ferns from the ceiling of my barn for my wedding. The vines and pods dry well also. Please keep us updated. Thank you for sharing this information. I divided the rest among the team, and the ladies had fun crafting with them. Chamomile, lavender, calendula and marshmallow to name a few. But this one is SUPER AWESOME!!! I have to buy it on line. Yellow yarrow and Annabelle hydrangeas are two of my favs but I love seed pods too. I had a similar feeling about dried flowers.. but have recently become intrigued. Getting into ministry in 95 put an end to all that, but I never lost the love of dried materials. Back when I was younger we had a 4 acre dry flower farm in northern Maine. Im hanging also and I should have some almost done. I was shocked to see that happen. I picked my favorites to grow this year, strawflower, statice, babys breath, globe amaranth, eucalyptus, lavender and sweet annie. When we lived in Maryland, at one point my closet ceiling was full of roses that I had shipped from A wholesaler in California and looked so gorgeous! So very beautiful. I have tried just hanging up to dry but the petals dont stay that same perfect shape. Have Fun. Are you drying any flowers from your garden this season, or do you think of them as tacky and dated? You name it and it is possible with dried flowers. Loved reading this and I am going to try drying !! I have tried drying it and it just turns limp. Maybe the photography had something to do with your remembrance of tacky and dated. Yeah to floral zombies :-). Cant wait to purchase seeds and learning more. One flower that surprisingly dries well is sweet peas. This post was incredibly helpful for trying to figure out what we might plant to pair with dried lavender in bundles. I can see that with your friends beautiful dried arrangements. Hanging bunches of lots of herbs like mint, oregano, lavender,dusty miller, lambs ears, etc. I recently attended a wreath making class and made a beautiful wreath of dried flowers. Thanks for sharing this.I have dried various flowers over the yearsesp hydrangeas. Thank you for these useful tips. Lambs ear spikes, before the actual flower shows any color, are fabulous. My new experiments this year will be with the alliums. I dry Hydrangeas every year for winter color in my home. I love dried flowers. Book a place at seasonal flower workshops, follow the simple DIY tutorial step by steps to making mini wreaths, simple glass jar flower mobiles, and other easy flower craft projects or buy ready made, mini wreaths, place settings and handmade botanical craft. I chose to dry flowers because I have a no waste farm so flowers that did not make it into the market, I hung to dry. Your post brought many precious memories my way Erin! Pictured are some of Siris everlasting wreaths. Again, thanks for this. Nothing tacky about that! Please note: If you submit a comment and it doesnt show up right away, sit tight; we have a spam filter that requires we approve most comments before they are published. It doesnt look fresh like the hydrangeas of course but I love all the warm colors and textures. They shrink in size, but make a lovely little flowers with very sturdy stems. Thank you for being with me as I learn a new flower adventure Im watching your shop carefully waiting to purchase seeds for next season! Here are a few important things to keep in mind if youre planning to dry flowers: Even if you only save aside a few bunches of flowers for drying, Id highly recommend that you give it a try. Sprigs of bright fresh yellow or red yarrow enhance zinnia bouquets in Summer, and then dry nicely retaining color in the vase after the zinnias have faded. Rachel, Wanaka, New Zealand. So have started to grow some again, Would love to be able to Freeze dry, as it seems to preserve the colour and structure well but the equipment is way too expensive for small scale, so I have been using my food dehydrator to dry heads, particularly sunflowers, camellias and paeonies, some dry very well, others are not so successful, but I have had fun experimenting. Cant wait to grow a whole rainbow of amaranth this year along with lots of other dryable stems: strawflower, gomphrena, celosia, poppy pods, giant dill, and crespedia. I think dried flower crafts should have a shelf life and then be returned to nature. Also try drying peonies! Thanks, It truly paid off both monetarily and psychologically. Dried flowers are especially needed to extend our very short season in Maine. I am also a botanical artist so you can understand my interest in your flowers.This article on dried flowers falls close to home as many of the strawflowers are native to Australia.They can be picked by the roadside in January in the New England part of NSW.Of course the Mallee gum is a native as well.Western Australia is home to an incredible source of wild flowers..worth a trip downunder I used to have a plastic tub of silica gel that I would use to dry plants and flowers and experiment with some that didnt turn out very well. Or whats your secret to keep them from falling apart? Thank you for sharing your beautiful passion with us. She makes the most stunning works of art from dried flowers that she grows on her familys farm and ships nationwide around the holidays. I also like my allium skeleton that looks great even after the petals fall off. Gorgeous! Our favorite is Round-Leaved Mallee, pictured above. Use rubber bands to bundle instead of string so it shrinks with the bundle. Back when we were finishing the winter chapter of the A Year in Flowers, I realized how useful and versatile dried flowers really are.. If you use the right method, you can dry just about anything, and there are dozens of books on the subject lining the shelves of used bookstores and thrift stores. Hope In Bloom is an outreach I started to deliver donated event/funeral flowers to seniors/hospice. Harvest once foliage is mature and tips are no longer droopy. Sow seed on the surface of the soil and do not cover. Standard advice is to dry flowers in a warm, dark place, but thankfully ours dried so quickly that their color didnt fade in the sunlight. Shirley Poppies (pictured above) yield a bumper crop of miniature silver pods with darker tops that are excellent for handwork, bridal bouquets, and dried crafts. I try to harvest when they have started to dry on the shrub, but still retain some color. I had good luck with roses in the bud stage or partially open bud stage. And the Nigella pods are so funthey have sort of a cool Jetsons look, like funky little asteroids! Hanging upside down in a dark, airy place is the method Ive used. Im really feeling into the wonderful world of flower art and would love to hear recommendations for pressing flowers dry. Have sold wreaths and dried bunches in shops and at Farmers Market and festivals. Did I not let this group dry enough before storing? I just finished reading your beautiful book, Cut Flower Garden, the illustrations are so beautiful, I just loved it and look forward to getting your other books. Statice, another standby, is one of the best flowers for drying and also wonderful when used fresh. Im an artist who makes sculptors out of dried flowers and resin. Lovely, Lovely, Lovely. If you arent going to use them right away, you can wrap them in tissue or kraft paper and store them away until needed. Siri lives on one of the most remote San Juan islands and travels between her familys farm and destinations worldwide arranging flowers. Cob webs and dust would settle in but that dried flower craft would remain on the buffet. Can you do it in an air conditioned room? Thank you for sharing your expertise. Also, the broom corn is beautiful when dried. I wasnt going to even consider potpourri because that seems like a trend that died in the 80s but surprisingly, Ive had several people suggest it so maybe its making a comeback.I dont know. Do you put any product on the dry flowers to keep them from breaking or resist time better? I live in SW Louisiana, which is one of the most humid places on earth. Lace cap not conducive to drying? I grow and dry bread seed poppies on the stalk. I am particular to all colors of gomphrena, they are the perfect flower to dry, but certainly celosia, larkspur, hydrangea, stock, delphiniums, zinnias, lambs ear, sweet annie, several varieties of wheats, ruby silk grass, russian sage, roses, peonies, eucalyptus, craspedia, etc etc, there are just so many that dry successfully!

Sitemap 21