How to dry flowers and foliage

From pampas clouds to floral art frames, dried flowers have seen a renaissance. Interest in preserving flowers has been growing as people realise that longevity and sustainability are their key attributes.

Anything that can be decomposed by fungi, bacteria and micro-organisms, so it doesn’t persist indefinitely in the environment. Biodegradable plastics are usually made from plants, such as bamboo, rather than fossil fuels. Ideally, products that claim to be biodegradable should break down quickly and leave nothing harmful behind. However, they may need specific conditions in order to biodegrade successfully or may produce greenhouse gases such as methane in the process.

Dried flowers make beautiful year-round displays

Where to start with drying flowers 

It’s easy to dry and care for most flowers and foliage, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Use the best quality flowers you can find as no amount of drying will help a poor bloom look better

• Keep displays out of direct sunlight and away from moist rooms such as a bathroom or they could go mouldy

• Remove dust with a hairdryer, set on a low heat, every now and then

Xerochrysum bracteatum ‘Bright Bikini’ makes a long-lasting dried flower

Techniques you can try at home

Air drying

Experiment with different flowers, seedheads and grasses for air drying

• Select good quality flower stems and strip off the lower leaves

• Tie with a rubber band and hang upside down in a place with low light levels and good ventilation

• Check for signs of mould and move to a more suitable location if needed, removing any mouldy stems or flowers

• Dried plants should be ready to use in 2 or 3 weeks, but some can take a bit longer depending on the moisture levels in the plant material

Silica gel

Silica-treated flowers drying on hessian

• Place a layer of silica gel in a plastic tub

• Carefully snip off your chosen flower heads and arrange them on the gel

• Surround the flower heads with more gel until covered

• Check them every couple of days

• The gel will absorb any moisture from the petals and change colour as it does so

Glycerine

Glycerine is usually vegetable-based. This method uses hot water and glycerine in equal parts and is a useful method for foliage such as box (Buxus), beech (Fagus sylvatica) and ferns:

• Insert the stems into a glass jar containing the mixture of glycerine and hot water

• Leave them to absorb the liquid until the colours completely change and the foliage feels leathery

Pressing

Pressed leaves and flowers ready for creative projects

• Place simple and fairly flat flowers between sheets of scrap paper weighed down with some books

• The pressed flowers will be dry in a week and will keep their colours beautifully 

Pressed flowers at RHS Hilltop gardening science centre at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey

RHS Herbarium

Most specimens in a herbarium are pressed, dried plants. These specimens are mounted on sheets of card and stored in flat folders in banks of cupboards following a logical sequence for easy referral.

Discover the RHS Herbarium

RHS Herbarium

Grow from seed

Nigella damascena ‘Miss Jekyll’

Briza maxima

There are a few great flowers that you can start growing from seed that will make great dried flowers:

• Limonium sinuatum

• Nigella damascena

• Briza maxima

• Xerochrysum bracteatum

• Gomphrena globosa

• Helipterum roseum

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Hardy annuals: sowing in autumn

Hardy annuals: sowing in autumn

Hardy annuals: sowing in spring

Hardy annuals: sowing in spring

How to sow seeds indoors

How to sow seeds indoors

How to sow seeds outdoors

How to sow seeds outdoors

Be inspired by some of Theresa’s work