How to Dry Real Flowers to Keep

Flowers can represent a magical time in someone's life from a new baby to a fairytale wedding. If you have a special bouquet of flowers and you do not want to throw them away, you can preserve them. You can also dry flowers to make your own floral arrangements or potpourri. Drying flowers is a simple process. You can preserve your flowers for years to come in a few easy steps.

Things You'll Need

• Flowers
• Scissors
• String
• Closet rod
• Vase

Instructions

1. Separate the flowers into bunches of six. Remove the foliage and cut the stems to 6 inches or longer. Use 10 inches of string to tie a knot around the stems of the bunch.

2. Tie the ends of the string around a closet rod. Hang the flowers upside down. If you are hanging more than one bunch of flowers, give them enough space so that they are not touching. It's important to hang the flowers in a dry and dark area that is infrequently used. As the flowers dry, they'll become fragile and brittle.

3. Dry the flowers for three to four weeks. Do not disturb the flowers as they are drying. The flowers are completely dried when they are brittle to the touch.

4. Gently arrange the flowers in a vase or crumble to make potpourri.

References

• "The Book of Dried Flowers;" Colin Hilton; 1987