How to Air Dry Flowers
To dry most types of flowers, you can let nature do the work. Blooms with sturdy stems, such as hydrangeas and globe thistles can be dried just by leaving them in an empty vase in a cool room with low humidity. However, you’ll likely get better results by hanging flowers upside down so they won’t droop while drying.
How to Dry Flowers in the Microwave
How to Dry Flowers Using Silica Gel
Freeze flowers in time by submerging them in silica gel, a drying powder available at crafts stores. It will preserve petal shape and color a little better than air drying or microwaving. To fit large, full flowers like peonies into a small container of the silica gel, cut the stem an inch or so below the flower head, dry both pieces, and rejoin with hot glue and florist tape ($1, Etsy). Small flowers can be dunked into the powder intact. After submerging flowers in the silica for one to two days (go longer for larger blooms), tip them upside down and use a soft makeup brush to gently remove powder.
Tips for Maintaining Dried Flowers
When you take a little care of your dried flowers, they can last for months and even years before they fade or fall apart. Here’s how:
