Drying Flowers

Drying flowers is lots of fun. There are many ways to dry flowers but I prefer to do it the easy way by stripping the leaves off and hanging them upside down to dry in a cool air place.

Here, we have harvested mint and hung it to dry in the loft area of our log home.

Since I use mint for the base of my wreaths and arrangements, I do not strip the leaves off of these plants. Pictured here is a mountain mint. Once the little flowers have formed on the plant, it's ready to dry.

Harvesting Flowers for Drying

After you cut the flowers, strip the leaves and make a bundle of about 5 to 7 stems (It's best to vary the height of the blooms for airflow). Bundle the stems with a rubber band and hang in an airy place away from sunlight.

If you just happen to have a barn on your property, that would be a perfect place. Barns have ideal conditions such as darkness, good airflow, cool updrafts, and perfect humidity. If you don't have a barn, a spare bedroom or big closet will work. Just be sure that you have good air flow and keep the flowers out of the sunlight.

You may cut flowers during different times of their development. For instance I harvest both buds and blooms of roses and peonies.

Once you get the hang of drying flowers, you will be able to make nice wreaths and arrangements like the one pictured above.

In the months to come, I will be adding new pages to this website on how to dry flowers. Complete with videos and instructions.

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