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HomeGardeningEasy methods to Dry Flowers + 14 Dried Flower Petal Initiatives

Easy methods to Dry Flowers + 14 Dried Flower Petal Initiatives

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Studying find out how to dry flowers will open up a world of potentialities! Right here’s every part you could find out about drying flowers and 14 alternative ways to make use of dried flower petals.

Easy methods to Dry Flowers + 14 Dried Flower Petal Initiatives

Dried flower petals are one of the simplest ways to protect the fantastic thing about the backyard properly into the chilly winter months when our crops hibernate. I at all times have dried flower petals available to make use of for my magnificence recipes, soaps, and different crafts.

To make sure I’ve sufficient, I refill on flowers every summer season. I wish to have a whole rainbow at my disposal for the approaching months.

As totally different flowers bloom every week, I’m out in my backyard with a basket. I accumulate and snip the flowers till I’ve greater than sufficient blooms. Since I wish to experiment and provides away handmade items, I can by no means have too many!

Right here’s what you could find out about dying flowers, from find out how to dry them to what to do with them.

Dried flower petals in jars separated by color
Generally, it’s finest to simply dry the petals of a flower reasonably than the entire head.

What Flowers Can You Dry?

Whereas I want each flower dried as beautiful because it appears to be like on the stem, not all flowers dry completely. When trying to dry flowers, you need ones that maintain their color and perfume. Quite a lot of it comes all the way down to testing totally different flowers and seeing how they dry.

For example, saliva flowers dry properly and actually maintain their color. Nonetheless, the flowers shrink a lot and develop into so tiny that it’s not definitely worth the bother until you’ve gotten tons of. A few of my favorite flowers to dry are:

Lavender drying upside down on a rack outside
Lavender bunches scent completely divine whereas they dry.

Easy methods to Dry Flower Petals

With regards to drying flower petals, there are just a few strategies that can be utilized. Nonetheless, some will work higher than others for various sorts of flowers. As soon as once more, it’s all about experimenting!

Jars of colorful dried flower petals
Retailer your dried flowers in hermetic jars in order that they don’t rehydrate.

Dangle Upside Down

You’ve most likely seen fairly just a few pictures of this primary methodology due to its Instagram-worthy aesthetic. This standard methodology is to bundle the stems collectively and grasp the other way up. To dry flowers this manner, you’ll want to grasp them in a darkish and funky room akin to a closet that isn’t usually used.

In case you aren’t going to be utilizing the leaves, strip the stems naked earlier than making bunches. I like to make use of string, twine, or wire to wrap my stems collectively and fix them to a hanger (see it on this picture?).

Flowers which are good for this methodology embrace lavender, roses, centuarea, echinacea, hops, and extra. Some bigger flowers akin to roses could also be higher to be hung individually reasonably than in a bunch.

Considered one of my favorite tips is to cowl lavender bunches with a bag. This lets you catch lavender buds as they fall, making gathering that a lot simpler!

Dry Flowers in Water

I primarily use this methodology for hydrangea flowers because it helps to retain the intense pink and blue tones. Take away all of the leaves and place the flowers in a vase with an inch or two of water.

Place the flowers in a darkish and funky room and easily look forward to the water to slowly evaporate. This enables the flowers to dry slowly, serving to to protect the petals’ color.

Hydrenga drying in a jar of water
With out this system, the hydrangea flowers get floppy and don’t retain their form.

Air Dry Flower Heads

Air drying flowers are nice for flower heads that may simply pop off their stems, akin to calendula and chamomile. To do that methodology, pop off the heads of the flowers and discard the stems. Then, unfold them out on a dish, tray, or drying rack and wait.

As soon as once more, remember to place these flowers out of direct daylight whereas drying. For simple gathering and clear up, remember to have a tray under that picks up any flowers that fall by means of a drying rack.

Drying flowers on a tray may also work should you simply need particular person flower petals and never the entire head. This methodology works nice for bigger flowers akin to roses, centaurea, sunflower, bee balm (monarda), and peonies.

Harvesting Peony Petals
Lay peony flowers on a tray to get the dried petals.

Use a Dehydrator

In case you are strapped for time, you’ll be able to even use your at-home dehydrator when you have one. The method is identical as drying flower heads and petals on a tray, however as an alternative, you’ll place them in your dehydrator for 8-10 hours.

You’ll want to place like flowers within the dehydrator so all of them evenly dry or place bigger flowers on the highest rack as they’ll take the longest to utterly dry. If all flowers are the identical measurement, be at liberty to rotate the trays so the flowers evenly dry.

Press Flowers

The final methodology for drying flowers is an outdated favorite! Urgent flowers is a superb methodology for making customized playing cards, framed flowers, and different inventive paintings. To make pressed flowers, you’ll be able to use a flower press or a big e book (cellphone books are nice should you nonetheless have these kicking round!).

Place your flowers the way you need them to dry between two items of newspaper or printer paper. This can stop your flowers from sticking to the e book pages and stamping them with color. Squish them down, and if utilizing a e book, place some additional books on prime as a weight.

Wait at the least three weeks earlier than you open up and test in your flowers. For completely pressed flowers, you can also make a hand-crafted flower press by following these steps.

Drying flower petals in a DIY flower press
Use blotting paper along with your flower press to assist take up any moisture.

The place to Purchase Dried Flowers

Whether or not it’s on account of area limitations or local weather points, a few of us don’t have the potential to develop our personal provide of flowers. That doesn’t imply you aren’t allowed to take pleasure in the fantastic thing about dried flowers! There are tons of locations the place you should purchase dried flowers. Right here’s a brief checklist:

In case you’re questioning the place to get began in the case of buying flowers on-line, think about what you need dried flowers for. This useful resource information on find out how to create your individual natural house apothecary is a superb place to start out.

Woman making a bath bomb with dried flower petals
This bathtub bomb encompasses a pressed pansy.

What to do With Dried Flowers: 14 Dried Flower Initiatives

Now that you understand how to dry flowers and what to search for when selecting your crops for drying, let’s speak about what to do with them. As soon as you start experimenting, you’ll discover that the chances are countless with these vibrant creations. Listed here are a few of my favorite concepts to strive.

Lovely Cleaning soap Toppers

Home made soaps make an exquisite, custom-made reward. To make my soaps a real showstopper, dried flower petals oftentimes take middle stage as the ultimate contact. They’re one of many best methods to brighten, add color, and even improve the scent of cleaning soap. For my very own soaps, I used dried wildflowers. Observe my steps and create your individual wildflower cleaning soap.

Stack of homemade soap with dried flower petals inside
These petals are for adornment solely; they’ll come off the cleaning soap not lengthy after you start to lather up with it.

Soften And Pour Soaps

Whereas dried flower petals sprinkled on prime are beautiful, you too can incorporate them immediately into your cleaning soap. Soften-and-pour soaps are the best methodology for newcomers, however that received’t cease your soaps from trying completely superb. Try find out how to make your individual botanical soaps with flowers inside.

Clear soap bars with flowers, herbs, and leaves inside of them.
For these soaps, select flowers you recognize will maintain their color properly by means of the cleaning soap.

Lotion Bars

Calendula has an attractive golden hue to it and likewise works as an anti-inflammatory for the pores and skin. Experiment with the backyard and deal with your pores and skin by making lotion bars with calendula.

Lotion bars with dried flower petals inside.
Calendula is without doubt one of the finest herbs for skincare.

Bathtub Bombs

Bathtub bombs could make a shower go from easy and enjoyable to fun-filled aromatherapy. Dried flowers are among the finest pure methods to make an attractive bathtub bomb. You possibly can place a full flower on prime and even sprinkle them on as a last ornament. Try my full checklist of DIY bathtub bombs you can also make your self.

Woman holding a heart-shaped bath bomb with dried rose petals inside.

Bathe Steamers

If baths aren’t your factor, bathe steamers are the bathtub bomb made for bathe lovers. In case you haven’t tried it earlier than, a bathe steamer enhances your bathe by filling it slowly with fantastic aromatherapy scents. You will discover a full tutorial right here.

Shower steamers with dried flower petals on a white towel
Bathe steamers are identical to bathtub bombs, however for individuals who desire a bathe.

Wax Melts

Ditch the plug-ins and aerosols and add perfume to your property naturally with aromatherapy wax melts. These cute natural infused melts make a cute reward or are beautiful to have available when your property wants some freshening up.

Electric Wax Melt Warmer and herbal melts
Including dried flowers to wax melts is safer than including them to candles.

Tub Tea

In case you don’t look after the aesthetic of flower petals and herbs floating within the bathtub, tub teas are an awesome different. You get the aromatherapy of the flowers with out the cleanup. Right here’s the way you could make them your self.

Bathtub Salts

Good for newcomers, bathtub salts are a brilliant fast and simple method to get inventive with dried flower petals. This tutorial makes use of peony, however the flower choices are countless!

Bath salts made with pink dried peony petals
Darkish pink peony flowers maintain their color very properly.

After a protracted day, my sore and drained ft are at all times the very first thing on my thoughts. I like to present them a little bit bit of additional loving with a natural foot soak, full with dried flowers.

Herbal foot soak with dried flowers next to sandals
You possibly can customise this challenge and lots of others primarily based on the flowers you’ve gotten available.

Rose Water

Do you know that rose is superb for the pores and skin? Coupled with its superb scent, dried roses are positively one thing you wish to have available for skincare recipes. Right here’s how I take advantage of mine to make rose water.

Framed Flowers

Some pressed flowers are simply so beautiful they must be framed! Pressed flowers are extraordinarily delicate and framing them positively takes a cautious hand. Observe the following tips and steps and also you’ll have fantastically framed flowers.

pressed and framed heirloom flowers
Thinner flowers dry finest in a flower press, as massive flowers can rot.

Dried Flower Preparations

A flower association is without doubt one of the finest methods to brighten up your dwelling area and convey nature indoors. Whereas contemporary flowers are lovely, they solely final for therefore lengthy. Protect the fantastic thing about your backyard inside your property and make it final by creating dried flower preparations. See all of the steps on find out how to protect your decorative flower backyard.

dried flower arrangement
You may also mix your dried flowers with faux flowers.

Wreaths

Utilizing dried flowers to create a wreath makes a beautiful and long-lasting ornament good for spring and summer season. Observe my steps on find out how to make a lavender wreath or give my hydrangea wreath a strive.

a beautiful DIY lavender wreath made with dried lavender
This lavender wreath may be made contemporary, and can dry splendidly to take pleasure in for years to come back.

Echinacea Tincture

Flowers may be a lot greater than magnificence. This echinacea tincture helps to spice up immunity and cut back signs throughout chilly and flu season. Make your individual and learn to use this unimaginable flower right here.

echinacea root tincture with dried echinacea petals
Tinctures are sometimes made by soaking the plant in an alcohol base.

FAQ About Drying Flowers

How lengthy will dried flowers final?

Most dried flowers are good for at the least 2-3 years if saved in the fitting situations. Keep away from any daylight and warmth, in addition to humidity. As soon as positioned in daylight, the color from the blooms can fade fairly shortly.

How do you retain dried flowers from rotting?

Rotting dried flowers have absorbed moisture. It’s important to maintain dried flowers away from moisture and humidity. For instance, you may not wish to preserve a dried flower association within the lavatory.

If storing your dried flowers in a container, think about together with some silica gel packs to assist take up humidity.

Ought to I spray my dried flowers with hairspray?

Hairspray can actually assist to delay the lifetime of dried flowers. In case you’re utilizing dried flowers for show and arranging, spray a lightweight layer of hairspray to assist them retain color and maintain their form. Don’t use hairspray on dried flowers you intend on utilizing for crafts or magnificence recipes; it ought to solely be used on show dried flowers.

And there you’ve gotten it! The beautiful colors of dried flower petals are beautiful at hand for magnificence recipes, DIYs, and crafts, however in addition they stand out on their very own in glass jars. In case you’re like me, when you begin drying flower petals, you received’t be capable of cease!

Extra Methods to Use Your Dried Flowers

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