How to Dry Flowers: 4 Simple Ways + Decor Ideas

This is a collaborative post.

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Flowers bring joy into our lives, but unfortunately, the colorful splendor is temporary. Even with tips and tricks to make the gypsophila bouquet last longer in the vase, you can not ultimately prevent its withering. But there are a few simple methods to dry the flowers and preserve their beauty. I’ve been recently drying lavender and herbs (as a way of  preserving them for the winter) too.

4 Ways to Dry Flowers at Home

How to Air Dry Flowers

A simple and gentle method of drying. You can either thread the flowers individually on a string or hang the whole bouquet. To ensure that the flowers keep their shape and do not bend, hang them upside down. To keep the colors as vivid as possible, do not hang the dried flowers in direct sunlight. A warm, dry, and dark place such as a basement, attic, or pantry are better.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Remove the bouquet from the vase and spread the flowers out individually on a table, discarding wilted stems and flowers.
2. Thoroughly pat the wet stems dry with kitchen paper to speed up drying and prevent mold from forming.
3. Tie the flowers together at the stem with twine or a wide ribbon. Don’t tie too tightly so the twine doesn’t cut into the stems.
4. Hold the flowers upside down and spray the entire bouquet thoroughly with hairspray or clear varnish. This will preserve the flowers and stems, extend their shelf life, and prevent pollen or petals from falling down.
5. After about a week, check to see if the twine is still tight enough and retie if needed. As they dry, stems and stalks shrink and can slip out. Plants are dried when it rustles softly when shaken.

This method usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. If you tie a bouquet to the curtain, the air from the window will accelerate the drying process.

How to Dry Flowers in a Microwave

If you are impatient, you can also speed up the process by using the microwave or oven. For drying in the microwave:

1. Place the plant between two layers of paper and two microwaveable, flat weights.
2. Choose a medium setting on a microwave (each model has different settings)
3. Wait about a minute and a half and your flowers will be dry.

The same procedure also works in the oven. Here, however, it takes a little longer: at low temperatures around 80 °C, about 30 to 60 minutes.

Remember that each oven and microwave is different. So, you will probably need to experiment several times before you achieve the desired results.

How to Dry Flowers in Silica Sand

This drying method is especially suitable for individual flowers, petals, flower buds, or heads. It is done by the active removal of the liquid by drying salt, washing powder, or silica sand. The advantage over other methods is that the colors do not fade so much.

Here’s how it is done:

1. Take a bowl with a lid, or another suitable container, and cover the bottom of it with a layer of silica sand;
2. Place the flowers and cover them with an additional layer. It is important that the flowers or flower parts do not lie on top of each other and are heavily coated with silica. Otherwise, there is a risk that the parts below will lose their shape.
3. Cover everything tightly, so no additional moisture can come in.

The drying process is finished after 2 to 3 weeks.

How to Dry Flowers in a Flower Press

This method works best with individual flowers. To press dry flowers:

1. Place the flowers between moisture-absorbent paper. Something like cardboard, or newspaper is good for this.
2. Place a heavy object, such as a large book, on top of the flowers and store the pile in a dry, warm place.
3. After one week, change the paper.
4. After three to four weeks you can take out the dried flowers. When they are paper-thin and almost transparent when you hold them up to the light, your flowers are done drying.

Press drying is extremely simple and even beginners can achieve great results on the first try.

Dried Flower Inspiration

There are a lot of things you can do with dried flowers but mostly they are used as decoration elements. For example, you can create a herbarium – a collection of pressed plants for cataloging different species. Such a collection of especially beautiful and self-picked flowers or leaves is also a great idea for wall decoration.

In a beautiful vase, a dried bouquet is a good eye-catcher. Whether it’s the wedding bouquet that you want to keep as a memory long after the wedding ceremony, or a bouquet of cornflowers with the last flowers of summer, with which you want to keep some summer joy throughout the fall and winter.

You can also simply hang the dried flowers from the ceiling. In closets, in the kitchen, or next to the bed, for example, lavender spreads a pleasant light fragrance. If you collect the petals of dried roses or other scented flowers, you can compose a potpourri in small bowls.

FAQ:

• How Do You Dry Flowers So They Don’t Mold?

The most important thing here is to ensure air circulation. It prevents the moisture to condense on flowers and moisture is the main reason mold appears.

• What is the Best Way to Dry & Preserve Flowers?

Air drying is the classic method that is considered the best, mainly because it is a natural way that does not require any additional equipment.

• How Do You Dry Flowers for Beginners?

You can simply hang them to dry or put them under the press, under a book for example.

• What is the Fastest Way to Dry Out Flowers?

Microwave or oven methods are the fastest but they require a bit more experience to get it right, so do not be discouraged if your first attempt goes wrong.

• How Long Do Dried Flowers Last?

Usually, dried flowers last for about a year if you take care of them correctly.