Flower Preservation: Air Drying

Anyone can air-dry beautiful bouquets of flowers.

Air-drying is one of the easiest, least fuss methods of drying flowers. The downside, however, is that many flowers do not lend themselves to air-drying. Often trial and error is the best way to learn if a particular flower will air-dry well. Flowers with firm, woody stems such as roses, lavender, and coxcomb take very well to air-drying, but flowers with smaller, flimsy stems such as asters and daisies do not.

To air-dry flowers, tie a small bunch of the chosen flower together. Be sure not to put too many flowers in one bunch or they may rot in the middle. Hang the flowers upside down to help them keep their shape. It is best to hang the flowers in a dry place with a bit of airflow. In general, a back bedroom or pantry works very well for air-drying most flowers. Some flowers, such as straw flowers, are an exception to the rule and will dry just about anywhere, including my moist, warm kitchen!

Leave the flowers to hang for three to four weeks, checking periodically to be sure they are not molding. They should feel crispy and crackle under the touch when they are thoroughly dried. Once dried, the flowers can be used for a myriad of craft or decorating projects, or they can simply be left hanging from the ceiling for an aesthetically pleasing effect.