How to Make Dried Floral Hanging Racks

Hanging flowers upside down can help them dry properly.

Some flowers and herbs require hanging upside down to dry them. After cutting the stems from the plants, the next step involves assembling small bunches of similar stems and tying them together. Once you have your bundles of plants ready to hang, find a warm and dry location to hang them in. Because drying may take several weeks, you need a spot where the plants can hang undisturbed. It's easy to make dried floral hanging racks for drying your plants.

Things You'll Need

• 1/4-inch dowels
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Saw
• Medium-grit sandpaper
• Twine
• Plastic or wire coat hangers
• Clothespins

Instructions

1. Measure 24-inch lengths along the dowel and make lines with the pencil. You need two dowels for each coat hanger.

2. Cut the dowels at the lines you drew with the saw. Sand the ends of the dowels with the sandpaper to remove rough edges.

3. Cut two 15-inch lengths of twine.

4. Position one dowel on a hanger so the mid-point of the dowel rests at the right corner of the hanger where it angles up toward the top of the hanger. Hold the dowel in this spot and wrap a length of twine tightly around the dowel and the hanger to secure the dowel.

5. Continue wrapping until just enough twine remains to tie a double knot. Knot the twine twice tightly.

6. Repeat the same process with the other dowel and length of twine at the left corner of the hanger.

7. Position bunches of herbs or flowers along the dowels, spacing each bunch about every 6 inches. Fasten the bunches to the dowels with clothespins.

8. Hang the drying rack from a hook in a warm and dry location. Make sure the bunches receive adequate air circulation on all sides of the stems to ensure proper drying.

References

• "Preserving Flowers: Dried & Pressed Floral Designs for Every Season"; Diane Flowers; 2008