Growing your own dried flowers
Article originally written for Issue 2 of @gardenfolkmag (find them on Instagram).
Drying flowers was something I was only vaguely aware of and had no experience of 4 years ago, apart from a poor attempt to preserve my own wedding bouquet. Motivated at first by a real hatred for wasting anything, let alone something beautiful I had grown, dried flowers have now become something of a passion, or possibly addiction for me, becoming a big part of my life - and taking over a big part of my home.
And it seems I’m not alone; the trend for dried flowers has really taken off. What I find especially wonderful is that anyone with a little bit of growing space, or even just the inclination to forage, can create something beautiful of their own from dried plants. There really is zero need to buy something that has been imported, bleached and dyed into something rather alien to its origins.
There are so many things to love about good dried flowers - once arranged, they can last for years, making them very sustainable (provided they have been grown and dried sustainably); they require no real attention which appeals to my lazy side; you can have colourful, homegrown flowers all year round, and should you wish to gift them, they post well and are sure to be enjoyed for many months.
There is no end to the range of flowers and plants that can be successfully dried. There is so much experimentation and discovery to be had. If you are already growing flowers, or even if you’re not, there will be things within reach that you can easily dry and bring into your home to enjoy a long-lasting bit of nature. Consider the potential in every shapely twig, every plant gone to seed, and of course every beautiful head of petals and you will discover so much potential for dried beauty.
You need nothing special to get drying - just somewhere dry and dark, or at east out of direct sunlight, to hang your material for drying. I use some of our loft space and a spare bedroom wardrobe. By hanging several bunches on coat hangers on a clothes rail, you can fit a surprisingly large about in a small space. Hanging from hooks on ceilings or from strings on walls, can make the drying process double up as a beautiful decorative feature for drying. Just so long as the space is dry and not brightly lit.
Spring is the perfect time to get sowing if you’d like to grow some varieties specifically to dry this year. Strawflowers (Helichrysum Bracteum) are one of the most obvious flowers to start with. The petals (or really, bracts) are stiff and dry from the start and preserve wonderfully. Their vivid colours scarcely alter on drying, if at all. Pick when the first few layers of petals are opening, tie a bunch of around 10 stems, and hang upside down. They will continue to open their flowers as they dry. If you pick when already fully open, you may find they mature beyond the point you want, their centres becoming fluffy, distorted and liable to break up. When the stems feel stiff and completely dry, they are ready to be used.
Sow their seeds now, indoors, on the surface of compost and provide good light. They should germinate within a few days and can be potted on and moved somewhere cooler, ready for planting out after your last frost date. If you don’t have space indoors, I have also sown outdoors successfully from May, They are 'cut and come again’ so just a few plants will give you flowers for a couple of months.
Other similarly easy flowers for drying, that you can start and dry using the same methods as strawflowers include:
Limonium (Statice) comes in lots of bright and pastel shades. Pick when each flower in a cluster has just opened.
Ammonium - little white daisy-like flowers on long, wiggly stems. Pick when they have just opened to reveal their yellow centres.
Helipterum Roseum /Acroclinium/ Paper daisies - pink and white ‘daisies’ on long wiry stems. Pick when they are fully open.
If you are already growing flowers for cutting, you’re sure to have some that are also excellent contenders for drying. Some of these I find most successful, and that add a contrasting shape to the classic ‘everlastings’ include:
Ammi majus. Ensure the flowers are all open, so the stem is sufficiently stiff. Hang upside down.
Dahlias - These bumper croppers make themselves even more worthy of a place in the garden when their flowers can also be dried. A warm environment helps to dry these juicer flowers - a loft space in summer or an airing cupboard. Some varieties dry more successfully than others. I find the ponpom, ball and waterlily varieties in bright or dark shades dry best. Make sure the flowers are at their very best when hung to dry and not beginning to shed petals. Philippa @justdahlias is the place to go for inspiration from the expert.
Larkspur & deliphiniums- Cut when the last few flowers at the top of the spike are still in bud.
Alliums - the smaller ball shape, and drumstick alliums, including chives, dry beautifully if picked just before all flowers fully open.
Achillea - All achillea can be dried successfully, whilst I find some of the paler varieties don’t amount to much, the large, flat headed varieties such as “Cloth of Gold’ and ‘Parkers’, and the vibrant ‘Cerise’ make a great impression in arrangements.
Almost any flowers are worth an experiment with!
Of course, flowers are only part of the story in creating a dried arrangement or a wreath. Foliage and seed heads add texture, form, and a foil for the bright flowers. So if you are planning on making some of your own dried arrangements, plan to grow or forage some of these …
Grasses - both wild and cultivated grasses add texture and movement to an arrangement, helping to create that natural feel of a meadow or verge. Picked before they set their pollen, grasses should dry and hold their shape perfectly. Hare’s tails, Panicum, and Briza are some of my favourite cultivated varieties that can all be easily grown from seed. Although these are annuals, f you let one or two go to seed, you will have masses of self seeded plants the following year.
Nigella & Poppy - Both also very successful self-seeders, so minimal growing effort required. After the more delicate flower petals have dropped, the seed pods will swell and can be picked and hung to dry, ideally before they brown.
Silene / Bladder Campion - a lovely wild flower (and cultivated varieties) that is followed by papery seed heads that dry beautifully.
Greens - most evergreen shrubs can be successfully dried and retain their fresh colours so long as kept out of bright sunlight. Pick from mature leaves, avoiding soft young growth which will wilt. Eucalyptus, euonymus, box, and pittosporum are some of my favourites to use.
Bracken - a real favourite of mine. There is usually an abundance of it to be found in hedgerows. Collect in early autumn when the green leaves are tough enough to keep their shape, and there are lovely brown fronds to gather too. Avoid any with spores on the back of the fronds.
There are so many more varieties that grow well, and if you start to experiment yourself, I’m sure you will make your own wonderful discoveries. I have had to limit myself to name just a few before I end up writing a book, but should you wish to explore more, Chiltern seeds very helpfully allow you to filter their excellent selection of flower seeds to show you those suitable for drying.
And when it comes to creating, ‘Everlastings' and ‘Forever Flowers’ by Bex Partridge @botanicaltales, and Forever Flowers by Ann Lindsay are all great books on drying flowers which also contain some great creative projects. There are so many incredible people specialising in creating with dried flowers, but my favourite creatives to follow for inspiration are @laylarobinsondesign and @harebelleandbee - I’ve no doubt you’ll be inspired too!
