A crash course in drying
Dry flowers can be vibrant and beautiful or dull and sad. I get asked more than anything how I get my dried flowers to look like they do. Some of it has to do with WHEN you dry them - which I will get into at great length at a later date. Much of it has to do with HOW you dry them. Like most things, there is no one way to dry. There are several, and each has its perks and its pit falls. Here is a very brief overview of the 6 ways I dry flowers
Hang them. If you choose only one way to dry flowers, this is it. Its quick, easy, can be done basically anywhere with a rubber band or bit of string. Most (not all!) flowers dry very well when hung to dry - stems up, heads down! Flowers take 1-3 weeks to dry, and this method is very forgiving of imperfections in technique.
Press them. This is the second most versatile drying method. It takes more work and materials than hanging, but can also be done most places in a pinch. Many flowers press beautifully, others wrinkle and brown almost no matter what you do. Pressing can be done with a heavy book, but a wood flower press does a superior job. This method takes 2-4 weeks but has to be done with care and precision for quality results.
Flat lay. Place flowers face down on paper on a flat surface. This method works best for multi-petaled flowers and leaves. For best results place a little weight on the petals. The result is a quasi pressed looking flower. Flowers dry in 1-2 weeks, stems can take longer, leaves can take less.
Hang face up. This method requires materials, space and planning. You need a basket or drying screen and a place to hang it. Flower heads, with or without stems, are placed face up and left to dry. This also works best for multi petaled flowers. It allows the petals to fall down, rather than curling in toward the center. The result is similar to the fresh flower. Flowers take 1-3 weeks to dry.
Vase dry. All flowers can dry by this method, but most will look terrible. This works best for late season hydrangeas, when they have already begun to dry on the bush. Place stems in water and allow the flowers to naturally dry out. This takes 1-2 weeks.
Silica. The fastest way to dry flowers is in silica. I don’t do this for many flowers, but it can yield really beautiful results. This works best with Dahlias, daffodils and hellebores, among others. Flowers can look almost exactly as they did when fresh, if kept out of the air. This method can take 3-7 days, but can also lead to very fragile and brittle flowers or flowers that can reabsorb moisture.
Over the next several weeks I will have more detailed information on each of these methods - both in terms of how I choose one over another and execution.