Wildflowers have many uses: Dry flowers for crafting

I have that lull in the garden where everything is pretty much planted but the crops haven’t taken off. It’s a great time to enjoy the garden and notice the other activity on the property. This lull lasts about two weeks and then it’s chaos in the gardens.

Picking wild berries on the land has made me realize that many of the wildflowers are in full bloom. Now is the best time to press any flowers for crafting uses or dry herbs and flowers.

I dry yarrow to use later in dried arrangements. They dry well and can be sprayed different colors. I also use Queens Anne’s Lace but the stems aren’t as sturdy as the Yarrow.

I am lucky to have a large barn. This is where I hang the flower to dry. It’s warm and quite dark so the flowers dry well. Once dry they are stored in boxes until they are needed.

Many of the delicate wildflowers I press for using on handmade paper or for use in two and three dimensional art pieces. I made my own small press from old boards. I used to use old books but the flowers sometimes stain the books so it was time to try something different.

You can also use sand and a drying solution to dry flowers. This works best for the full flowers that you want to look three dimensional and natural. And by using wire in the stems you can make a sturdy stem. Strawflowers are probably my favorite dried flower using this method. They have so many uses.

One last way you can enjoy the flowers from this season is the dry the flower heads to use in potpourri or baskets. It’s a way of catching a little of the color and beauty of summer.

Tags: drying flowers, drying herbs, using dried flowers in crafts, using dried flowers in floral arrangements