How to Dry Flowers and Herbs

The flowers of spring have long faded, but my family still enjoys the beauty of nature thanks to the joys of natural flower drying. Have you ever dried flowers and herbs before? In this plant guide, I'll teach you how to dry flowers and herbs to preserve their beauty and fragrance and add a touch of nature to your house long after the flowers outside have faded.

Why you should dry flowers: Drying flowers in your home is a great way to preserve their beauty and add some color to any room long after the original flowers have disappeared. Drying flowers and herbs is also a great way to save up spices and flavors for any recipes you might have, as well as for aromatherapy and potpourri. When you know how to dry flowers and herbs, the possibilities of their uses are almost limitless!

When to gather and collect flowers and herbs for drying: Properly drying flowers and herbs all starts with knowing when to gather and collect the flowers and herbs you want to dry. The best time to collect flowers for drying is in the mid-morning on clear, sunny and DRY days. I find that the window of time between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. is the best; by then, the dew has evaporated but the sun has yet to wither the flowers.

What types of flowers and herbs should you collect? It all depends on the season! Remember, you don't just have to dry flowers. Other types of herbs and plants can make wonderful dried arrangements for your household enjoyment, such as pinecones and berries.

In the winter, you can collect and gather junipers and evergreens like cedar. Spring and summer are my two favorite seasons for collecting flowers, herbs and plants to dry. During spring and summer, you can find all sorts of beautiful wild flowers, such as daffodils; lilacs; black-eyed susans; mint; Queen Anne's lace; violets; geraniums; honeysuckle; forget-me-nots; the list goes on and on and on!

In autumn, you can collect any late-blooming flowers, as well as berries, seed pods and pinecones.

You can even dry fruits, which make EXCELLENT dried specimens for aromatherapy recipes or potpourri. I'm especially fond of dried citrus fruits, but any type of fruit can make a delicious smelling, colorful dried addition to your aromatherapy or potpourri recipe.

How to dry flowers and herbs: There are several flower-drying methods that you can utilize. You can take entire flowers and dry them on screens stretched between wood frames in a dark, dry room. Once dry (it may take a three to five days for flowers to dry in this method), you can store the dried flowers in glass jars until you have enough to make a dried flower arrangement.