How To Dry Flowers: A Collection of Tips

After yesterday’s Homemade Potpourri information, I thought this collection of flower drying methods and tips was a perfect follow-up.

Tips For Drying Flowers

• Collect flowers first thing in the morning (after the dew is gone) and at least two days after a rain. Handle them carefully so they don’t get bruised.
• Choose flowers that have reached near peak and haven’t started to fade or turn brown around the edges. Flowers that are too mature can drop their petals easily during the drying process. Also try to choose flowers that have had no chemicals used on them.
• If you cannot proceed with the drying method of choice as soon as you’ve gathered the flowers, you can arrange them in a vase with lukewarm water for up to 24 hours.
• The drying times provided below are approximates only since each flower dries differently, the environment in which they are dried also plays a role.
• When drying flowers, remove the stems and leaves (unless otherwise noted) since they retain moisture and prolong the drying process. If you prefer dried flowers with leaves, you can do so but allow for extra drying time.

How To Tell If Flowers Are Dried?

• When the petals feel papery, stiff and the stem snaps easily when you bend it, not flexible.

Methods To Dry Flowers

Air Drying:

• Use a window screen, wood frame with thin mesh stretched across or a cookie sheet with a wire rack laid on top. These will provide excellent air circulation.
• Remove the stems about an 1″ from the base of each flower. Lay the flowers in a single layer across the screen, making sure they aren’t stacked on top of each other and no petals are touching. Set aside in a warm, dark place to dry.
• The drying process can take 10 to 20 days, you want the flowers to be completely dry and hold no moisture at all.

Petal Drying:

• If you want to dry loose petals harvested from mature flowers, you can use one of the methods above or line a cookie sheet with paper towels (newspaper works too) and arrange the petals in a single layer. Leave in a warm, dark place until dry.

Hang & Dry:

• Leave the stems on the flowers but remove the leaves. Take 5 to 7 flowers together and align the bottom of the stems evenly. Tie the bunch 2″ from the bottom of the stems with a string or bind together with a rubber band. Have the stems at different lengths so the blossoms aren’t crowded together at the top and rest at different lengths.
• Hang the bunches upside down in a warm, dark place and allow to dry for anywhere from two to four weeks.
• You can also place the flower bunch in a paper bag and tie the top closed around the stems, this will help keep the environment dark as well as keep dust from accumulating on the flowers as they dry. Make a few holes on the sides of the bag for better air circulation. Do one bundle per bag (about 5 to 7 flowers per bundle).

Dehydrator Method:

• Use the instructions that came with your dehydrator, or make your own dehydrator.
• You want to place the flowers in a single layer, petals not touching each other and normally set on low.
• It’s preferable to dehydrate the flowers by themselves so they don’t absorb the odors from other food items in the dehydrator (and vice versa). If you plan on making potpourri with your dried flowers, feel free to include some slices of citrus fruit peel and apple slices on the trays to include in the mix.

Oven Drying:

• Lay flowers in a single layer on a cookie sheet with a rack and place in a slow oven (180° F).
• Heat for several hours, keeping the oven door open the entire time (to let moisture escape).
• Remove tray from oven and allow to sit overnight to complete the drying process and ensure there is no more moisture.

Desiccant Drying:

• This method holds the shape and color of the flowers best. Be careful when removing the flowers from the desiccants after they are dried as they are brittle and can crumble easily. Either tap the mixture off or use a soft craft paintbrush to remove the granules.
• Do not leave the flowers overlong in the mixture as small holes in the petals could develop.

Silica Gel:

• These are crystals that you can purchase bulk in craft stores or online. Layer the flowers and silica gel inside an airtight container, the first bottom layer being about 1″ of Silica and the top layer completely covering the flowers with another 1/2″ of Silica.
• Be careful when covering the flowers that you don’t squish all the petals together.
• Depending on the flowers used, leave for approximately two to seven days. Store the used Silica Gel in an airtight container, it can be used over and over again.

Borax & Sand:

• Same layering process used above. Sift the Borax first to remove all lumps.
• Use a 2 to 1 mixture of Borax and fine sand (make sure it’s clean).
• Allow 14 to 17 days for the drying process. Leave the container uncovered. Can also be used for the microwave method (listed below).

Borax & White Cornmeal:

• Same layering process used above, use a 50/50 ratio. Can add a few tablespoons of Kosher salt to help preserve flower color. Leave the container uncovered.

Kitty Litter:

• Same procedure as the Silica Gel. Can also be used for the microwave method below. Use a plain, dust-free brand and clean kitty litter (of course).

Microwave Drying:

This can be a tricky method, but once you get the hang of it the flower drying process is very fast. Do a few trial runs to determine how much heat and length of time to use for the type of flower you are drying.

• In a microwave-proof dish that you use only for crafts (not cooking), pour a 1″ to 2″ thick layer of silica gel.
• Remove all but 1″ of the the flower stem.
• Insert the flowers stem first into the silica so they’ll be sticking up.
• Lightly sprinkle Silica into the petals to hold the petal position and carefully cover the flowers completely.
• Do only a couple flowers at a time and make sure they’re not touching each other.
• Place a small cup of water in the back corner of the microwave (place a wooden toothpick in the water so there’s no danger of superheating).
• Next place the container with flowers in the microwave, uncovered, and heat on the defrost setting in one minute increments. Repeat until flowers are dried.
• Once all moisture is removed and the flowers are completely dried, cover the container and remove it from the microwave. Position the lid so there’s about 1/4″ to 1/2″ air flow into the container and let sit for 24 hours.
• Remove the flowers and gently shake off all the silica gel (you can also brush off with a soft craft paintbrush).

Denser flowers will take longer to dry. Flowers with thick petals don’t dry well with this method and more delicate petal flowers (like a pansy) will dry quickly so be careful to watch. Each microwave heats differently, experiment–you may find that you need to up the heating level.

Water Drying:

• Remove the leaves from the stem and place the flowers stem first in a vase that has 1″ to 2″ of water on the bottom.
• Place in a dark, warm room.
• When all the water is gone from the vase, the flower is dried.

The Hydrangea is one flower that works well with this method.

Also see How To Dry Herbs and this Flower Preservative for another method for drying flowers using wires for stems, Borax and cornmeal.

Don't Miss These Tips:

• How to Dry Herbs With a Microwave
• Flower Preservative Recipes & Instructions
• 25 Tips For Plants & Flowers – Timeless Wisdom Collection