Drying flowers is an old art form that has gained traction in popularity due to all the wonderful benefits, like all the uses for dried flowers, the fact that it’s very easy to do, and you can enjoy your flowers for longer!

There are plenty of ways you can dry your flowers. In this article, I’ll break down four methods that are great for beginners and beyond. They include air drying, pressing, microwave drying, and using silica sand.

When choosing a method for drying your flowers, keep these in mind:

  • Type of flowers you’re using.
  • Amount of time you want to put into drying your flowers.
  • If you’ll have to purchase extra supplies.
  • What you plan on doing with your dried flowers.

Air Drying

Air drying flowers is simple and easy, and can be done with items found in your home. Choose this method if you aren’t sure what you want to do with your flowers yet and don’t have much time to spend drying them.

Hanging your flowers, as seen in this photo, is a common way to dry flowers, and is easy and effective.

BEST FLOWERS FOR THIS METHOD: strawflowers, goldenrod, hydrangeas, xeranthemum, celosia (crested and plumed types), Queen Ann's lace, baby's breath, millet globe, amaranth, salvia

Important things to note: 

Separate your flower bouquets and hang in small bunches of flowers so they do not mold. Hang your flowers in a dark, draft-free location for about 2 weeks (longer for some flowers.)

Other ways to air dry your flowers include plucking the petals and laying them in a dark place until dried. This is the method I often recommend for drying flower petals for jewelry as it is easy and flower retain their color slightly better than in the oven.

You can also put flower petals in the oven at about 175 F for 45 minutes to dry out. This is commonly used for drying flowers and herbs for things like tea and candles.

 

Pressing

Pressing flowers can lead to stunning results. Some flowers do not press very well, so it’s important to make sure your flowers will work with this method.

Flowers that are pressed can retain their colors well, although some flowers tend to change colors no matter what (bright reds typically turn a deep purple for example.

BEST FLOWERS FOR THIS METHOD: aster, marigoldros, chrysanthemum, cosmos, lily-of-the-valley, zannia, dahlia, English daisy, poppy

Some beautiful ways to display pressed flowers are: 

  • Framed as a whole bouquet or wall art
  • In a resin serving tray or coasters
  • To spruce up gift packaging
  • In your clear phone case
  • Resin jewelry

Not sure where to start? Read this easy-to-follow guide on pressing flowers in a book.

Microwave Pressing

Drying flowers in the microwave can be pretty fun! You get your dried flowers in just a few minutes (as opposed to weeks or months with other methods.)

This method can be done with things found in your home, such as a heavy bowl and paper towels, but a flower press meant for the microwave is recommended as it helps retain the color of flowers and prevent browning. 

*If you don’t have a microwave press do not let that hold you back – you can still have beautiful results.

BEST FLOWERS FOR THIS METHOD: lillies, roses, violets, dahlias, zinnias

A quick breakdown of the steps to microwave press flowers:

  1. Cut the stems off your flowers and lay them face down on a paper towel. Set a very heavy microwave-safe dish on top. 
  2. Place in microwave at half power (I use the defrost setting) for 20 seconds.
  3. Check on the flowers and move them to another part of the paper towel if wet and you can move the flowers without damaging them (as they get more dried out they will be easier to remove from the paper towel.)
  4. Repeat this process until the flower are dry and crisp.
 

Tip: It’s important to check on your flowers every 20 seconds and potentially sooner if microwaving longer than a minute as your flowers can burn/brown in just a few seconds too long.

Silica Sand

Silica sand is a type of crystal you submerge your fresh flowers in to dry them out in their original form. Out of all methods, flowers dried using silica are most similar to what the original flowers look like – shape and color. 

Some flowers may not work well with this method due to being too delicate. I always have trouble with certain mums and lilies!

Whenever you work with silica sand it’s important to have proper personal protective equipment (PPE) that includes a respirator and gloves.

BEST FLOWERS FOR THIS METHOD: rose, aster, geranium, carnation, marigold, zinnia, delphinium, dahlia, larkspur,

Flowers dried in silica sand will sometimes reabsorb moisture and wilt. That’s why it’s best to display flowers dried using this method to be displayed  in a closed container (such as shadow box) to keep out dust and high humidity. 

Resin blocks are another common option. Flowers dried whole in silica sand look stunning in resin blocks (like bookends and display pieces.)

Conclusion

The art is drying flowers is simple once you determine the best method for your type of flower and what you plan on doing with your dried flowers.

Whether you dry your flowers by hanging them, pressing them in a book, putting them in the microwave, or submerging them in silica sand, you are sure to be left with beautifully dried flowers that you can enjoy for years.