How to Dry Your Flowers
Air-drying is the simplest way to preserve flowers, which works well for many field flowers as well.
- Pick your blooms at their flowering peak - on a sunny afternoon, once any dew has evaporated, or around noon when the flowers are open (unless drying roses).
- Strip them of their leaves and gather into bunches, wrapping them with elastic bands, or tightly bind with cotton string.
- Hang these bunches upside down in a dark, dry area with good airflow (this could be a shed or garage) for two to three weeks. Remember that spring can be humid. Attach them to a long horizontal pole or even an old clothes horse.
- Be careful when unwrapping the bunches, as these flowers will be much more fragile than fresh ones.
Aftercare
Try spraying your dried flower displays lightly with unscented hairspray to help keep their shape. If you are putting your dried flower arrangement on display, be sure to keep out of direct sunlight.
Pressed Flower Art
You can also display dried flowers that have been in a flower press. If you cannot find a press, you can press the flowers between two heavy books. For pressed flowers, use smaller, daintier flowers such as pansies, daisies, borage, single-petalled roses, or even fern fronds. Always have them between a couple of pieces of paper, so they are easy to remove once dried and don't damage the books. Leave for a few weeks before removing flowers.
