How to Make Decorative Dried Flower Arrangements

Dried flower arrangements can add long-lasting beauty in a room.

Throughout history, flowers have been dried to preserve their shape and beauty. Their colors and textures make them appealing, and arranging them in various ways livens up the decor of the home. With hundreds of thousands of plant and flower species growing throughout the world, the potential for designing beautiful and artistic dried floral arrangements is endless. In the home, dried flowers can be arranged and placed in any room that could use a splash of color and texture.

Things You'll Need

• Floral foam
• Planter
• Dried flowers such as roses and baby's breath
• Decorative tree branches
• Dried wheat or straw
• Dried greenery such as ferns or eucalyptus

Instructions

1. Push the floral foam into the planter. You may have to trim to fit.

2. Lay out all of your dried flowers and plants and, on a piece of paper, sketch the design of the flower arrangement. Decide on the shape of the arrangement -- where you want to place taller line accents, greenery and tall and medium flowers.

3. Push line accents such as wheat grass, straw, decorative tree branches or lavender into the floral foam according to your design plan. Often these are placed in the back and partway around the sides.

4. Fill in the center of the piece with green foliage such as caspia, ferns or eucalyptus.

5. Insert tall flowers such as sunflowers or cockscomb.

6. Insert medium-sized flowers such as roses or daisies. You can place them in a bunch or spread them out in the pot. Baby's breath is very popular as a filler in dried bouquets.

7. Step back and observe your dried flower bouquet. If necessary, add more greenery, flowers or line accents. Observe colors and textures and be sure the flower arrangement matches the room you would like to place it in. For example, place one dried rose in a decorative vase and display on antique furniture. Or place a dried flower arrangement on a dining room table as a centerpiece, on the kitchen counter or in a powder room.

Tips & Warnings

• You can dry your own flowers by growing suitable plants such as sunflowers, zinnias, roses and dahlias. Cut stems in the morning or evening, then attach wire to the stems and hang out to dry.

• The purplish-blue color and long stems of lavender make a striking dried floral arrangement.

• Dried flowers last forever and can be striking in places such as a kitchen, bathroom or dining room. Just remember to handle them with care so they don't shed their blooms on surfaces.

References

• Schusters of Texas: How to Make a Dried Flower Arrangement
• University of Missouri Extension: Drying Flowers and Foliage for Arrangements