Choose the right flowers
Before you start, it is useful to know which flowers do and don't work well as dried stems. Our advice is to choose flowers with woody stems, like the rose or sunflower, or thin stems like gypsophila or waxflower. These blooms turn out perfectly.
There are several different ways to dry flowers:
1: Air-dried flowers
Create small bunches of the same flower and hang them upside down to dry. For the best result, hang them in a warm, dark space, such as in the attic (above the heating if possible) or in a closet. The heat speeds up the drying process and prevents the flowers from going moldy. After a few days the flowers will have dried —you can test this by squeezing the stem. When it is no longer flexible, your dried flowers are ready to come out.
2: Drying in the oven
The oven is a quick and easy way to dry flowers. Set the temperature of a convection oven to 38 degrees and put the flowers inside upright, placing an oven rack at the bottom of the oven to support the stems. After 3 to 4 hours, remove the dried flowers and place them on a rack to cool. Chrysanthemums are very suitable for drying in this way.
3: Dry with a book
A third way to dry flowers is to use heavy books, just like you did when you were a child. Spread your favourite flowers between sheets of newspaper or tissue paper to protect against wrinkles, then place the paper in or under a heavy book. Flowers take about three weeks to dry in this way. Make sure to refresh the paper regularly so the flowers don't rot when moisture is released. You will achieve the best results here with fresh-cut flowers.
Tips for drying flowers
- The faster the flowers dry, the better they retain their original shape and colour.
- Blue, orange and pink flowers retain their color best when dried
- Spray some hairspray on the dried flowers to prolong their life: it makes them less likely to disintegrate.
After more dried flower inspiration?
Find out more about dried flowers with our autumn bouquet recipe, read how you can create true works of art for your home with dried flowers, and don't forget to give your vases a sustainable upgrade too! We'd love to see your dried flowers! Share them with us via Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #funnyhowflowersdothat.
