How to Dry Sweet Annie

Sweet Annie (Artemisia annua) is also known as sweet wormwood or annual sagewort. The annual plant grows between 1 and 10 feet tall and has wispy, green-to-yellow foliage. Dried sweet Annie is commonly used as a filler in dry flower arrangements. Harvest sweet Annie intended for drying before its flowers bloom, and pick it during the middle of the day. Due to shrinkage in the drying process, gather twice as much sweet Annie as you think you'll need.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Twist-ties
• Twine

Instructions

1. Remove any excess stem or undesirable portions from the sweet Annie with scissors. Only dry the part you wish to keep.

2. Group the remaining parts of the stems together to form a loose bunch. Tie the base of the stems in the bunch together with a twist-tie, then set the bunch aside.

3. Tie a piece of twine to a nail, cabinet door handle or other protrusion on one side of the room in which you wish to dry the sweet Annie. String it across the room and secure it on that side as well.

4. Hold the bunch upside-down over the twine. Lower it gently so the twine goes between the foliage. Allow the bunch to rest on the twine at the point where it is secured with the twist-tie.

5. Check the plant weekly to determine whether it is dry -- it should take one to three weeks.

6. Lift the dried sweet Annie gently from its resting place on the twine. Remove the twist-tie and use the sweet Annie as desired.

References

• Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium: Artemisia annua
• Dried Flowers Direct: Sweet Annie
• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Drying and Preserving Plant Materials