11 Easy-to-Dry Flowers

Drying flowers doesn’t have to be complicated. To get beautiful colors and sturdy blooms, sometimes it’s just a matter of choosing the right ones and using simple techniques. Erin Howell-Conner, manager of Howell’s Greenhouse & Pumpkin Patch in Cumming, Iowa, knows a lot about this process. She’s been designing with flowers she has grown and dried herself all her life.

- Sherri Ribbey

SIMPLE DRYING When you want to make a dried-flower wreath, a posy or even a larger arrangement in a container, air drying is the simplest and easiest method. All you have to do is hang a small bunch of stems upside down in a warm, dry spot-at least 60 to 70 degrees Fout of direct sunlight, such as an attic or closet. This will give you the quickest results with colors that won't fade. Flowers can be ready in as little as two weeks, depending on how dense and water-filled the bloom is. The plants you'll find here are all great choices for air drying and ones that Erin has found hold their color well, don't shatter easily and grow tall enough to be able to cut long stems for hanging.

HOW TO HARVEST The time to cut flowers is after the dew has dried so mold won't form later. Try to cut stems that are 18 to 24 inches long so you have enough length to assemble the bundles for drying and to make putting the projects together easier later. You don't have to remove the foliage-sometimes it looks nice dried too.

HOW TO AIR DRY Gather a handful of stems to hang and dry up to 30 of slender-stemmed plants, such as salvia, but only five to seven of thicker stems, such as celosia. If you try to bundle too many together, they may dry unevenly or mold. Erin likes to hang her flowers in odd-numbered groupings (odd numbers look better in designs) so that when she needs a bunch for an arrangement, she can grab and go with just the right number of blooms.

You can use twine, rubber bands or twist ties to hold the stems together. Whatever you use, check them every few days because as the stems dry, they shrink and can fall out of the bundle. Allow a few inches of space between bunches to let air circulate.