How to Dry and Store Cut Flowers - Ep. 219

[00:00:00] Welcome back my gardening friends to another episode of the Just Grow Something podcast. I am your host Karen Velez and I am here today to tell you that the fruits and veggies coming from our gardens are not the only things that we can dry and store in the off-season. Think about the vibrant colors from the flowers and the herbs in our yards and containers. We can absolutely preserve that beauty to use year-round or at least to display through the dreary winter season.

[00:00:29] by simply air drying them. There are lots of ways that we can use those cut flowers, the ornamental grasses and even the edible flowers and the herbs in our home decor and in our pantry. Yes, you've got the typical dried flower arrangement in the form of a bouquet, but what about centerpieces or wreaths or swags or other purposes like tea blends or simmer pots? Today on Just Grow Something, we'll talk about the conditions that we need to properly dry our florals and other cuttings from the garden, when and how to properly dry our florals and other cuttings from the garden, when and how to properly dry our flowers and other cuttings from the garden, and how to properly dry our flowers and other cuttings from the garden.

[00:00:59] Now, just as a little bit of a garden, you'll see how to properly dry our plants and other plants, and how to properly harvest them specifically for this purpose, and then how to properly store them so that they retain their color and maybe some usage ideas.

[00:01:06] Why shouldn't we use all of the colors of our summer garden to brighten up our indoor spaces as we move through fall and into the winter? Let's dig in!

[00:01:17] Hey, I'm Karen. I started gardening in a small corner of my suburban backyard, and now 18 years later, I've got a degree in horticulture and operate a 40-acre market farm.

[00:01:26] I believe there is power in food and that everyone should know how to grow at least a little bit of their own.

[00:01:31] On this podcast, I share evidence-based techniques to help you plant, grow, harvest, and store all your family's favorites.

[00:01:38] Consider me your friend in the garden.

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[00:02:22] Remember, just because something failed doesn't mean that you are not a good gardener.

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[00:02:45] So, what do we need to do to properly dry cut flowers, ornamental grasses, and even herbs to preserve their color and their texture,

[00:03:02] specifically to be used throughout the winter or even during the entire year, whether that's as decor or something else?

[00:03:09] So, the first thing that we need is to have a proper area for drying.

[00:03:15] So, the ideal area for drying your flowers has three different characteristics.

[00:03:20] You want it to be dry, well-ventilated, and dark.

[00:03:24] So, in terms of dry, the less moisture in the air, the better.

[00:03:28] If you live someplace that is very humid like me, this might be a problem.

[00:03:32] So, you likely are going to need a fan or an air-conditioned area where the air is actually naturally drier.

[00:03:40] In terms of being well-ventilated, you want the moving air because that's going to help to prevent moisture from settling in

[00:03:47] and mold from developing on those plant tissues.

[00:03:50] So, again, another, either someplace where you can open the windows or somewhere where you can have a fan going.

[00:03:57] And then, dark.

[00:03:58] So, attics, dark basements if they're dry.

[00:04:02] You know, maybe some dark, lesser-used closets that are not being opened all the time.

[00:04:07] These are really good choices as locations for drying flowers if they meet those first two criteria.

[00:04:13] And also, lack windows or can be kept dark for most of the time.

[00:04:17] The darkness doesn't actually really affect the drying,

[00:04:21] but the more sunlight you let in, the more you're going to get that sort of sun-bleaching action.

[00:04:26] So, a dark location is going to allow the flowers to better retain most of their fresh color

[00:04:31] and it prevents that fading, right?

[00:04:34] So, you're also going to need something to hang the flowers from.

[00:04:36] So, if you're only drying a small amount, you know, a bouquet or two,

[00:04:39] then you can just put a couple of hooks up either in the rafters or on the wall

[00:04:43] and that's going to be enough.

[00:04:44] But if you're drying larger quantities of flowers,

[00:04:46] you might need to stretch a wire or something between the rafters

[00:04:50] or, you know, drying lines of some sort,

[00:04:53] like I've got a clothesline in my basement, you can do that too.

[00:04:56] The next thing to consider is what flowers are going to be good for drying.

[00:05:02] Some flowers definitely dry better than others.

[00:05:06] Plants that have a high water content,

[00:05:08] so think like peonies, those ones that are really, really dense,

[00:05:12] they generally do not dry as well as those that have a low to moderate moisture level.

[00:05:19] The other thing too is if you've got really, really delicate flowers with delicate petals,

[00:05:23] so like carnations, they can be a little bit more difficult to air dry,

[00:05:27] but it absolutely is possible to do.

[00:05:30] You just have to pay attention to those things.

[00:05:32] So, there are some species though and varieties that are really well suited

[00:05:37] to drying as dried flowers,

[00:05:40] whether it's because they hold up really well to the drying process

[00:05:43] or that they hold up their color.

[00:05:46] My favorite for this is status,

[00:05:48] because status actually already looks like a paper flower when it's dry,

[00:05:52] or when it's fresh,

[00:05:52] and so they dry really well and they hold their color very well.

[00:05:56] So does celosia, as long as you don't allow it to get sun bleached.

[00:06:00] But there's a whole list.

[00:06:01] Amobium, Gomphrina, and Craspidia.

[00:06:05] I hope I pronounced that right.

[00:06:06] These are both like globe-shaped flowers on really tall stems.

[00:06:11] Halipterum, or paper daisy.

[00:06:14] Strawflower, Echinacea, Metricaria, Bells of Ireland, Larkspur.

[00:06:18] Yarrow is a great one for dried flowers.

[00:06:22] Dacus, which is actually a domesticated Queen Anne's lace.

[00:06:25] And Ami, which is false Queen Anne's lace.

[00:06:28] And then Nigella.

[00:06:29] And Nigella has not only those unique flowers,

[00:06:32] but even have really cool seed pods that are very decorative.

[00:06:35] And then for like foliage and fillers,

[00:06:37] things like ornamental grasses,

[00:06:40] Blupurum, Eucalyptus is really good for this.

[00:06:43] Amaranth also makes a really good filler,

[00:06:45] both for the seed heads and for the foliage.

[00:06:48] And then Dusty Miller is good for foliage.

[00:06:51] And then herbs like lavender.

[00:06:53] Anything that's in the salvia family.

[00:06:54] Borage, lemon verbena, mint, thyme, marjoram, and oregano.

[00:06:58] When they flower, are great for drying on the stem.

[00:07:01] They have these tiny little flowers that are really cute.

[00:07:05] Even hyacinth beans.

[00:07:07] As they bloom, you can cut them.

[00:07:09] And as long as you're doing this before they start to produce the actual beans themselves,

[00:07:13] you can dry those flowers.

[00:07:14] And they can be just as stunning in decor as they are out in the garden.

[00:07:19] So one of the things to consider when we are cutting flowers specifically to be dried

[00:07:23] is what stage to cut them in.

[00:07:26] When is the best time to cut them?

[00:07:28] When we are cutting flowers for fresh bouquets, right?

[00:07:33] If you, you know, listen to Kathy Gormandy from P&K Farm Flowers or Artisanal Bloom,

[00:07:38] you know that we harvest them when generally only a few of the buds are opened

[00:07:44] because they are going to continue to open after you bring them in and put them in water.

[00:07:50] On the other side of that, flowers that are cut for the purpose of drying should be almost fully bloomed.

[00:07:57] They will continue to open just a little bit as they are drying, but only slightly.

[00:08:02] Not nearly what a fresh cut one in water is going to do.

[00:08:05] So there are some exceptions to this.

[00:08:08] You want to make sure that when you're, you know, you're planting these things,

[00:08:11] there should be some information on either the website or the seed package or something

[00:08:15] talking about, you know, if there are exceptions to this.

[00:08:18] But you definitely, no matter what, want to harvest them before the flower sets seed.

[00:08:24] I made this mistakes once with celosia.

[00:08:26] And if you have ever seen celosia seeds, they are tiny little black round seeds.

[00:08:31] And I had a coxcomb celosia that was massive.

[00:08:34] And as I was drying it, there were, I swear to you, thousands of these little black seeds,

[00:08:40] almost like poppy seeds that were falling all over the place because I had waited a little too long

[00:08:45] and had already set seeds.

[00:08:46] So learn from my mistake.

[00:08:49] The other thing too is you don't want them over mature though,

[00:08:51] because they will actually shed pollen, which can also make quite a bit of a mess,

[00:08:56] not to mention if you've got allergies.

[00:08:58] Or they might just actually drop their petals.

[00:09:01] And then all you're going to have is like this little empty stem left.

[00:09:03] So the timing, you know, can be a little bit tricky.

[00:09:07] And I mean, straw flowers too, even though they are a fantastic flower to cut for drying,

[00:09:13] they can be a little tricky because they open and close every day.

[00:09:17] And then if you look at the little center disc in the middle of the straw flower,

[00:09:22] that will actually also become exposed as the straw flower matures.

[00:09:25] The problem with this is if you harvest when that disc has opened or begun to open,

[00:09:31] once it's dry, that disc turns brown.

[00:09:33] It doesn't retain the really pretty color of all the petals.

[00:09:37] So for straw flowers, you kind of want to watch the blooms as they open each day

[00:09:41] and just pick the ones where the center disc is still covered

[00:09:43] or where the first few outer layers of the bracts are just starting to open up

[00:09:48] because they are going to continue to open after you harvest them,

[00:09:50] you know, and they're hung to dry.

[00:09:51] So the whole point of this is just kind of learn about the flower that you're planning to pick.

[00:09:57] If there's any information online about it as a cut flower or as a dried flower,

[00:10:01] then follow that information.

[00:10:03] The time of day is also important too.

[00:10:05] Early morning is going to be the best time to harvest it.

[00:10:09] Since the idea is to dry the flowers though, you want to wait until after any dew has evaporated.

[00:10:14] So there's a little bit of a timing thing on here.

[00:10:16] Otherwise, it's going to take longer for the flowers to dry

[00:10:18] and you're also going to increase the likelihood of the mold developing.

[00:10:21] But we don't really want to be harvesting them in the afternoon,

[00:10:26] especially or even in the evening.

[00:10:28] Like if you think about all of our veggies, any of our cut fresh flowers also,

[00:10:32] but our veggies too, you know, we don't want the heat of the day trapped in those veggies

[00:10:37] or in those fresh cut flowers when we cut them.

[00:10:41] So even in the cool of the evening, the plants may still be retaining that heat from the day

[00:10:46] and that can cause them to wilt very quickly after we bring them inside.

[00:10:49] So even though we're drying these, they should still hold up enough

[00:10:53] during the beginning stages of the drying process to retain their condition.

[00:10:56] So the better the condition is to start with, then the better the final product will be.

[00:11:02] So step by step, how do we dry these flowers?

[00:11:06] The first thing is to cut the flowers and we want to strip the leaves.

[00:11:10] Now, when you're cutting them, you do want the stems long enough to be able to bundle them

[00:11:15] so that you can hang them to dry.

[00:11:17] But you also kind of need to keep in mind your desired final look.

[00:11:22] So if you're wanting to display them in tall vases, you want to leave those stems longer.

[00:11:26] If you're going to do them in a bouquet or in a table arrangement of some sort or a centerpiece,

[00:11:33] you might want them shorter.

[00:11:35] No matter what, you do want to strip the leaves while you are still outside in the garden.

[00:11:40] This is going to not only help them to dry faster,

[00:11:43] but it's just going to be a cleaner end product when you're done.

[00:11:46] Those leaves aren't going to add anything to a bouquet, a dry bouquet or an arrangement.

[00:11:51] Once they're done, they're dried, they're going to be brittle and they're going to be discolored.

[00:11:56] You don't actually want them in there.

[00:11:57] So stripping them when you cut them is just the best time to do that.

[00:12:01] Once you've got them all kind of cut,

[00:12:03] you can place the stems upright into a bucket or something to bring them into the house.

[00:12:10] Make sure that you understand whether or not that stem is something that you're going to keep.

[00:12:15] And if you want a super straight stem,

[00:12:18] that's going to kind of give you an idea of what you're going to do in your next step,

[00:12:23] which is to gather them into small bunches, right?

[00:12:26] You don't want too many stems together because that's going to take longer to dry.

[00:12:33] You have less surface area exposed to the circulating air,

[00:12:37] which also can trap moisture in there, which also can lead to mold.

[00:12:40] And that is not something that we want in our dried flowers.

[00:12:43] How you do this is entirely up to you.

[00:12:45] You can build a bouquet how you think you want it when it's dried,

[00:12:49] while they're fresh cut and bundle it and then just hang it to dry that way.

[00:12:53] Just keep in mind that as they contract, as they dry,

[00:13:00] you might end up with some open spaces in your arrangement if you build the bouquet ahead of time.

[00:13:05] So I tend to just kind of all bundle different or the flowers of the same type together and hang them up.

[00:13:14] And then I will make my arrangements later.

[00:13:16] But that's entirely up to you.

[00:13:18] You want to bundle these together with either a rubber band or some string or some twine.

[00:13:23] Wire, whatever you've got, dental floss, whatever works.

[00:13:26] Rubber bands are good because as the stems dry down and they shrink,

[00:13:30] the rubber bands continue to tighten with it.

[00:13:33] And so they keep them from falling.

[00:13:36] And then I tend to, I have a clothesline in my basement.

[00:13:42] And I hang them upside down on the clothesline using clothespins.

[00:13:47] But you can use paper clips.

[00:13:49] You can use florist wire.

[00:13:50] You can use twist ties.

[00:13:52] Whatever it is, hang them upside down.

[00:13:54] Hanging them upside down helps to keep those stems straight.

[00:13:58] The exception to this would be if you don't want them to have straight stems.

[00:14:03] Why would you want that?

[00:14:04] Well, I mean, if you want sort of a more natural look in your bouquet or your arrangement,

[00:14:09] you might actually allow it to dry upright in a vase because eventually they're going to start to bend over the side of that vase.

[00:14:16] And they will arch a little bit.

[00:14:17] And so that's going to give you maybe some dimension to your dried flower arrangement.

[00:14:21] The other thing is if you have harvested any of the like amaranth varieties that have that trailing look to them,

[00:14:29] you can also dry them upright so that they will dry in that sort of draping or drooping look

[00:14:38] because you can use that in your bouquet, your dried bouquet in that manner.

[00:14:43] Just keep in mind, again, going back to those straw flowers,

[00:14:46] some of them have really delicate or brittle stems when they dry.

[00:14:50] So in most instances, I prefer to leave those stems long and then just cut them when I'm ready to make my arrangement

[00:14:58] based on what size I want.

[00:15:01] But like straw flowers, they are very delicate or brittle when they are dry.

[00:15:08] So it's a good idea sometimes with those if you want to to cut the stem right away

[00:15:13] and just run some floral wire through there instead

[00:15:17] so that you can bunch them easier in the future without them breaking.

[00:15:21] After that, you get them hung up and it's just a matter of waiting.

[00:15:26] So it's going to take probably a month, maybe a little bit longer.

[00:15:30] The drying time is going to vary with the size of the flowers and how thick the stems are.

[00:15:35] But you'll be able to tell.

[00:15:37] There should be no give to them anymore.

[00:15:39] The stems and the flower petals themselves should feel rigid.

[00:15:44] Just keep in mind, if you're, again, someplace like I am where there's high humidity

[00:15:48] or your temperatures are higher where you're drying them,

[00:15:55] that can affect how quickly or how slowly these things dry.

[00:15:58] So if you can increase the air movement by using natural airflow of some sort,

[00:16:02] opening the windows or putting some fans in there,

[00:16:06] then that's going to help you out.

[00:16:09] Maybe some problems that you might see.

[00:16:11] I haven't seen a ton of problems in drying them.

[00:16:14] We already talked about, you know, not getting too much sun on them

[00:16:17] because that can bleach them out and making sure that you keep the moisture level down

[00:16:21] so we discourage mold.

[00:16:23] The only other concern that I see is dust collecting on the flowers.

[00:16:29] It's not real easy to dust a dried flower, right?

[00:16:32] And, I mean, they're kind of delicate.

[00:16:34] And so when you want to store them, it's a good idea just to kind of wrap them up in tissue

[00:16:39] and put them away until you're ready to use them.

[00:16:43] But I have a set of dried flowers that I keep out year-round.

[00:16:46] They're in my bathroom.

[00:16:47] And the general rule of thumb is that, you know,

[00:16:50] you can keep dried flowers for about a year or so before they start to deteriorate in quality.

[00:16:55] But again, this is going to depend on what it is that you dried.

[00:16:58] I can't remember what it is that I've got in there, but it's a mixture of some decorative grasses

[00:17:03] and a couple of, you know, very petite white flowers.

[00:17:08] And other than the dust issue, they have held up just fine.

[00:17:12] And I've had those in my bathroom for the better part of two years,

[00:17:16] only having them swapped out in the holidays when I replace them with something else.

[00:17:21] And so what I do to dust them is I use that air can or the canned air that you use for, like,

[00:17:28] cleaning your laptop keyboard.

[00:17:30] And I just spray it at it.

[00:17:32] And it kind of gets the dust out of there without damaging the petals or damaging any of the sensitive areas.

[00:17:38] So, but if you have yours in an area that is getting more direct sunlight, which mine does not,

[00:17:44] then they might deteriorate more quickly,

[00:17:46] in which case it's just a good excuse for you to go out and harvest some more,

[00:17:49] grow some more flowers and bring them in and dry them again.

[00:17:56] So, of course, the most common use for dried flowers is to just gather them up into,

[00:18:00] you know, beautiful little arrangements.

[00:18:02] Seasonal decor, holiday decor.

[00:18:04] This is one of the biggest uses for dried flowers, right?

[00:18:06] Bouquets, wreaths, swags, table centerpieces.

[00:18:10] You can incorporate other elements into the flowers and, like, greenery and stuff.

[00:18:14] I've done it with pumpkins and acorns.

[00:18:17] For fall decor, I've used, you know, Christmas ornaments or lights for wintertime decorations.

[00:18:22] These all make really good gifts, too.

[00:18:24] You can do little small hand bouquets or little, you know, in vases and give them away as gifts.

[00:18:30] But you can also add some of these flowers and the petals once you've dried them,

[00:18:36] especially if you have ones that dry.

[00:18:37] After you've got them dried, they don't look the greatest.

[00:18:39] Like, oh, I don't want to use that in a bouquet.

[00:18:41] You can add it to tea.

[00:18:43] I mean, just make sure that you're looking it up to make sure that's safe.

[00:18:46] But it can be added to tea.

[00:18:48] It gives tea a little bit of a floral note.

[00:18:50] You can also make your own potpourri.

[00:18:52] So, you know, crush up those flowers that didn't look great to begin with and put them in little satchels and use them as potpourri.

[00:19:00] Or you can add them to simmer pots.

[00:19:02] So oftentimes we'll do simmer pots in the wintertime that have, like, cinnamon and orange.

[00:19:06] And those are kind of heavy, you know, wintry scents.

[00:19:09] But if you add flowers to that, it actually gives you a little bit more of a sweet smell in the kitchen and the house as you simmer it on the stove.

[00:19:17] And then some dried flowers can be used as natural dyes, too.

[00:19:21] So if that's something that you want to play around with, you know, those ones that don't look great when they're done being dried, find something else to do with them.

[00:19:28] So now that fall frosts are looming ever more closely in the garden, don't forget to do a final harvest on your flowers.

[00:19:37] By cutting and drying these guys, you can get to enjoy them inside all the way up until it's time to plant them in the garden again in the spring.

[00:19:46] Until next time, my gardening friends, keep on cultivating that dream garden.

[00:19:49] And we'll talk again soon.

[00:19:51] Thanks for listening to another episode of the Just Grow Something podcast.

[00:19:55] For more information about today's topic and to find all the ways you can get in touch with me or support the show, go to justgrowsomethingpodcast.com.

[00:20:03] Until next time, my gardening friends, keep learning and keep growing.