How to Dry Strawflowers
Strawflowers are small blossoms that come in a variety of colors, including pink, red, yellow and white. They’re a very easy, and popular, flower to dry. However, since strawflower stems are so delicate, you’ll need to replace the stems with wire before drying the flowers if you plan to use them in an arrangement. To wire the stems, you’ll need floral wire and floral tape, which you can buy in many craft stores or online. Floral tape is somewhat stretchy and sticky on both sides, so it’s great for wrapping the wire, and it’s green, so it helps give the wire stems a natural look. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Prepare the Strawflowers
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Choose strawflowers that are not quite fully open. They’ll open the rest of the way as they’re drying.
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Cut off the stem of the strawflower about 1 inch below the base of the flower.
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Cut a piece of floral wire a few inches longer than you want the wire stem.
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Poke the end of the wire through the stub of the stem and through the center of the strawflower.
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Bend the top of the wire over like a candy cane, forming a hook.
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Poke the end of the hook back down through the strawflower. Press the hook wire close to the stem wire.
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Wrap the wires together using floral tape. Make sure to wrap the floral tape tightly, stretching it slightly as you wrap. You may want to wrap the entire length of the wire stem.
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Cut or tear off the end of the floral tape, and press it in place.
Dry the Strawflowers
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Group the strawflowers into a small bunch.
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10
Carefully wrap a rubber band around the stems.
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Turn the bunch of strawflowers upside down.
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Hang the strawflowers from a hook or hanger in a dry, dark closet or similar space.
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Leave the strawflowers for a few weeks, or until they feel dry and make a rustling noise when you move them.
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Tips & Warnings
Strawflowers are great for mixing with other dried flowers in arrangements. Dried flowers can be fragile, so handle them with care.
Since strawflowers are naturally fairly dry, you may be able to air dry them by laying them in a basket rather than hanging them up if your prefer.
Use caution when working with floral wire, wire cutters and scissors. The ends of the wire can be sharp.
