At our workshop we dry plants using several methods, depending on the outcome we want. A complete guide so you can try at home. Warning: it takes patience.
Method 1: Air drying (most common)
For: herbs, lavender, gypsophila, wheat, feather grass, eucalyptus.
Cut in dry midday weather, remove lower leaves, tie in small bunches of 5–10 stems with a rubber band (not string), hang upside down in a dark, dry, ventilated room for 2–4 weeks.
Method 2: Silica gel (for "heavy" flowers)
For: roses, peonies, hydrangeas — flowers with fleshy petals.
Place flower head-down on 2cm layer of silica gel, cover completely, seal for 7–10 days.
Method 3: Press
Small flowers, leaves between newspaper sheets under a heavy book for 2–4 weeks. Great for cards, frames, bookmarks.
Method 4: Glycerin
For eucalyptus, magnolia. 1 part glycerin to 2 parts water; stems absorb it and stay "alive" feeling.
Don't
Microwave (brittle), sun (fades), cheap hairspray (dust magnet), bathroom (mold).
Want the finished product? Catalog.
