Winter can be tough for us cold-climate growers! Although I love getting cozy by the fire, I soon find myself longing for the days when I can wander the garden, snipping flowers again.
Many years ago, I started drying flowers and found that this was a great way to keep my hands busy with flowers and bring a little piece of the garden indoors to enjoy all winter.
Now that we’ve been growing flowers commercially for almost a decade, we’ve had a chance to try growing and drying all kinds of different flowers and plants, and I want to share what I’ve learned.
There are a few different methods for drying flowers, and for this post we'll focus on air-drying, the easiest method, which is almost exclusively how we dry flowers.
Drying flowers is easy! Here are a few pointers for getting your flowers to dry well and keep their vibrant colors.
HARVESTING
- Always wait to harvest until the dew or any moisture has dried from your flowers
- Pick in small bundles and wrap tightly with a rubber band. If your bundles are too large, you can crush or damage the flowers. Also, large bundles take longer to dry and you can risk molding.
- Harvest at the proper stage (see table)
Sometimes Paco the dog helps with harvesting!
DRYING
- Find a space that is dark, dry, and warm (or hot!).
- Hang bundles upside down
- Don't crowd bundles; allow plenty of air flow
Avoid spaces that are too damp or have any direct sun exposure. Sun can fade the fresh colors of your drying blooms, and moisture can slow drying and cause flowers to mold. If necessary, you can add heat or even use a dehumidifier if you can’t find a location that fits the criteria perfectly. This also works well for late season drying when the weather can get cool and damp.
You don't need anything fancy for drying flowers! In summer, some good places to dry flowers are on nails placed along a rafter in a shed, barn or garage (up in the rafters where it's warm is especially good). However, you must bring them indoors before the weather turns wet and cold or you risk moldy flowers. Indoor spaces like an attic, closet or even a basement (as long as it’s not too humid!) can work well too.
We often dry flowers on nails in the rafters of our studio. It doesn't need to be complicated! You could use a clothes drying rack or a rod in a dark closet.
For drying large quantities of flowers we built vertical racks from wire fencing to better utilize our space.
How long does it take for flowers to dry?
This really depends on your space and climate. In a hot, dry summer, flowers can dry in a matter of a few days. If your area is more humid, it can take a week or more. Check your flowers by bending a stem- if it snaps, it's dry!
Once your flowers are dry, you can store them in clean, dry boxes to save space and make room to start drying more bunches! Don't stack to many bundles on top of each other or you may damage (smush!) the bundles below. Keep your boxes labeled and in a dry location until you're ready to use them.
Ready to give it a try?! Read our post about our favorite annual flowers to dry
