Learn How to Dry Flowers and Decorate With Them

If you’re a nature lover, a beautiful way to bring nature to the forefront of your home is through flowers. The problem is that if they’re fresh flowers, they’ll wilt and if they’re in pots, they only have brief periods of flowering. So, how about learning how to dry flowers and decorate with them?

In this article, you’ll discover some techniques with which you can learn how to dry them and keep them forever. This has a special meaning if your flowers have an emotional connection. You can have them in your home, and fill your spaces with beauty. Why not personalize them with your craft creations?

Flowers: a therapy full of charm

Dried flowers are, without a doubt, a way to put your creative talents into practice and, in addition, you can do it as a family. This activity will teach your little ones about biology and botany alongside encouraging their love for nature. 

Take note of the different techniques that exist when it comes to learning how to dry flowers. It’s easier than you might imagine and with some flowers, you don’t need to wait too long to enjoy the results.

Depending on the method you choose, you can use dried flowers for different purposes from making decorative bouquets to putting them in notebooks.

How to dry flowers using the pressing technique

This is the most traditional technique and you’ve probably tried it on occasion. Although it’s true that it’s not the fastest method, it’s perfect if you want to make a collage or love scrapbooking.

You can use small, flat flowers and discard any with fleshy stems or petals that are too thin. This is because they’re fragile and, once dry, they’re likely to be damaged when separated from the paper. These are the next steps that you must follow:

• Place the flowers onto newspaper and cover them. This type of paper absorbs the water from the flowers and makes it easier to dry them. Add one layer of blotting paper and one more layer of cardboard.
• Seal the ends well with tape and put the package inside a large, heavy book. Add weight to the wrap so that it exerts equal pressure at all points.
• After a week, replace the layers of newspaper and blotting paper for new and leave it again with the press you’ve made.
• After two weeks, remove the weight and papers. Your flowers are ready to decorate your home.

Another option: air-dry flowers

If you don’t want to squash your flowers and you want to retain their original volume and put them in a vase or in bouquets, this is the most appropriate technique.

This is recommended for high stem flowers and you can put up to ten small flowers, or one by one if they’re of the hydrangea or rose type. Follow these step by step instructions:

• Group the flowers in bouquets or individually and remove all leaves from the stem.
• Tie them with string to firmly secure the stems, but be careful not to bend them! As they lose water you’ll have to adjust the string, since the thickness of the stems will shrink.
• Hang the bouquets upside down in a warm, dark, dry place with good ventilation. This will prevent them from rotting and will minimize any color loss.
• After four weeks, gently touch the flowers and if they have a crunchy texture, your bouquet is ready.
• For a better result and to help preserve them, you can choose to apply a special florist sealant or use hairspray.

Dry flowers in the oven

This drying technique using a convection oven is little known, but it’s ideal if you want to keep the volume of large flowers, such as camellias or chrysanthemums, intact. The procedure is pretty easy:

• Use a piece of mesh and make cuts in which you’re going to place the flower stems. By doing this, the flower bud will stay upright.
• Put the mesh on the oven rack at around 104 degrees Fahrenheit for about three hours. The hot air will dehydrate the flowers.
• Wait for them to cool down so you can handle them.
• Apply a florist sealant (as above) to preserve them.

We’ve presented three of the easiest flower drying techniques for you to try. You’ll see that you can embellish many spaces or objects with natural details to turn your home into an extension of your personality.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these special decor alternatives. This represents beauty and simplicity so you can let your creativity run free!