Field Guide · Harvest · 6 min read

How to Dry Flowers for Everlasting Bouquets

Hang them upside down in a dark room for two weeks. Here are the flowers that dry well and the ones that do not.

Written on the farm by Nathan Story · Story Thyme Farms, Missouri · Updated

Story Thyme Farms · Bench cardAll summer

How to dry flowers for bouquets

Strawflower, statice, celosia and others. Hang drying

DifficultyEasy
Dry time2–3 weeks
RoomDark, dry, airy
Color keepsA year or more
1Choosing the flowersGrow the flowers that dry well on their own
2Cutting themCut them slightly before they open fully, at midday
3Hanging themSmall bundles, upside down, in a dark room
4How long it takesTwo to three weeks until they feel papery
Materials needed · Rubber bands · Twine · Flower snips · Silica gel
Written on the farm · Missouristorythymefarms.com/guides/how-to-dry-flowers-for-bouquets

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The long version

A fresh-cut zinnia and sunflower bouquet from the farm
On the farm · Missouri

A dried bouquet lets you sell a July flower bed in December. The method is very simple, since you just hang the flowers upside down in the dark. What decides whether you get color or compost is which flowers you choose, when you cut them, and where you hang them.

  1. Step 1 · Choosing the flowers

    Grow the flowers that dry well on their own

    Watercolour plate of a spray of the classic drying flowers together - strawflower, statice, celosia, gomphrena, larkspur, yarrow and ornamental grass

    Strawflower, statice, celosia, gomphrena, larkspur, yarrow, baby's breath and ornamental grasses all hang-dry well, because they are already papery. Zinnias and other thick, fleshy daisies collapse when hung, and need silica gel instead. We sell those fresh and dry the ones listed above.

  2. Step 2 · Cutting them

    Cut them slightly before they open fully, at midday

    Watercolour plate of a flower stem cut slightly under-open with all its leaves stripped away, shears and a bucket beside

    Cut after the dew has dried, choosing blooms that are not quite fully open, because they keep opening as they dry. Strip every leaf off the stem, since leaves hold moisture and cause mold. Cut the stems long, because you can always trim them later.

  3. Step 3 · Hanging them

    Small bundles, upside down, in a dark room

    Watercolour plate of small bundles of flowers banded with a rubber band and hung upside down from a rail in a dim airy room

    Put a rubber band around five to eight stems and hang the bundles upside down from a line or from nails. Use rubber bands rather than string, because the band tightens as the stems shrink while string goes slack. The room should be dry, warm, ventilated and above all dark. Sunlight will bleach dried flowers to the color of hay within a week.

  4. Step 4 · How long it takes

    Two to three weeks until they feel papery

    Check them after the first week. They are done when the flowers feel crisp like paper and the stems snap instead of bending. Take the bundles down promptly, because once they are dry, dust is the main problem. Arranged out of direct sun they hold their color for a year or more, and a light coat of cheap hairspray keeps fragile seed heads from shattering.

Materials needed
Rubber bandsTwineFlower snipsSilica gel

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Questions we actually get

Why did my dried flowers go brown instead of keeping color?
Light or slowness. A bright room bleaches them, and a humid still room dries them too slowly, browning petals before they cure. Dark, warm, and moving air is the whole recipe.
Can I dry zinnias at all?
Not on a string, they wilt into rags. Bury the heads in silica gel for a week and they come out nearly perfect. It is fussier and we save it for the best blooms.
When do I pick strawflowers for drying?
Earlier than feels right, when the outer two or three rows of petals have opened but the center is still closed. They keep opening as they dry, and a fully open one dries blown.
More on zinnia
From the plant library

Zinnia — the full profile

Zones, cold-hardy cultivars, spacing, feeding, and where to buy one already rooted.

Open the zinnia guide →