DIY Dried Flowers

The art of preserving and drying flowers has been around since ancient Egypt. Although the practice was originally done for medicinal purposes by healers, modern dried flowers are most used by florists! The simplest method is air-drying. Conveniently, air-drying flowers is an easy way to preserve the beauty of your flowers both at home and at your shop.

The process of air-drying is broken down into 5 easy steps:

1)      Organize fresh flowers into bunches of approximately ten stems. It is recommended to make each bunch out of the same type of flower. This will help you monitor your drying progression later on.

2)      Strip each stem of any unwanted foliage and blooms.

3)      Tightly tie bunches at the base of their stems using string or rubber bands. Stems will shrink as they dry, so the tighter the better!

4)      Hang bunches upside down in a dry place away from direct sunlight. If drying multiple bunches, space them several inches apart.  Doing this will help prevent your flowers from growing mold and will help preserve their color.

5)      Wait! On average, it takes between two and four weeks for a bundle of flowers to dry completely. Flowers with more substance, such as roses, may take a couple of weeks longer.

Some of the best fresh flowers to air-dry yourself are lavender, thistle, larkspur, statice, billy balls, delphinium, gyp, yarrow, and astilbe. Derita carries these seasonal blooms in our fresh flower cooler. You can also air-dry greenery and all types of eucalyptus! To maintain the smell of fresh eucalyptus after you have dried it, gently roll each stem with a rolling pin or bottle between sheets of newspaper before starting the drying process. Rolling it will help release the smell from the stems and leaves, and the paper will help keep your table and roller free from stickiness.

Don’t feel like drying flowers yourself? Derita sells a variety of dried products such as dried palm spears, dried phalaris, dried lavender, dried scabiosa, and dried protea. We also offer Pristine spray to help prevent dried goods from shedding.

Selection of Assorted Dried Flowers