1. Choosing your seeds
Lots of great flowers for drying are annuals which means that they mature and flo
wer in one year. Its not too late to sow them now, strawflowers, all types of statice (pink pokers
, sea lavender) and grasses are great options, we love canary grass and sparkling fountain. Seed heads are also lovely, nigella and poppies are beautiful! You can dry almost anythin
g, including things from hedgerows or that you already have in your garden, give them a try and experiment.
2. Sow the seeds
Seed trays, soil blocks, pots, fruit punnets, anything that has drainage holes. Read the packet carefully so you know whether to surface sow or cover the seeds. Keep them warm and moist until they germinate and then make sure they have plenty of sunlight.
3. Plant them
When the risk of frost has passed plant them outside. Ideally they would go in the ground but you can happily grow flowers in any kind of container with drainage as long as you keep it watered, remember pots dry out quickly.
4. Support your flowers
You want nice long straight stems so make sure you support your flowers, this can be by tying them to a wall or trellis, using stakes like bamboo canes or growing them through horizontal support netting like we do.
5. Harvest!
Make sure you harvest your flowers at the right time, wait too long and they will fall apart when drying as they are trying to spread their seeds! Cut the flower as soon as it is fully open. Strawflowers continue to open after you have cut them so harvest when half of the petals have opened.
6. Drying
This is much easier than most people think. Find a dark and dry space and airing cupboard or shed is great for this. Strip all the leaves off your stems and tie them in small bunches. Hang them upside down with around 15 cm between each bunch so the air can circulate, until they are fully dry and the stems are stiff, the time this takes depends on the humidity and temperature not can be as quick as two weeks.
Voila, you have beautiful dried flowers! You can use these for all sorts of crafts as
well as lovely bunches, keep an eye on our website for upcoming workshops! I you keep them dry and out of the sun they can last for years, to brighten those dull winter days. A warning though, once you start drying flowers, you can't stop!
Comments