Make your own dried flowers
These plants are particularly suitable
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Making your own dried flowers is very easy. GALA tells you which flowers and grasses are suitable and how you should go about drying them.
Regardless of whether you want to preserve a memory with a dried bouquet or simply one nice decoration want to create for your living area: dried flowers are easy to make yourself. GALA shows you how this works best.
Which flowers are suitable for drying?
Basically you can dry all flowers and grasses. Drying time and results vary depending on the plant. Specimens that contain less moisture and a soft stem own, are completely dry after just a few days. They also don’t break down as quickly when dried. The following plants are particularly suitable and are popular classics in every dry bouquet:
- Star umbels
- Gypsophila
- Strawflowers
- Hydrangeas
- Star scabioses
- lavender
- yarrow
- Mimosa
- Pampas grass
Varieties with one solid stem need a longer time to dry. In some cases you have to be patient for up to two weeks. The wait is worth it, because dried roses, blue thistles or colorful straw flowers in particular are an eye-catcher in every dried flower bouquet. Eucalyptus branches are also a great eye-catcher with their silver-green leaves. Be sure to try out different plants and combine your DIY dry bouquet as you wish.
Instructions: Make your own dried flowers
To dry flowers you will need a branch or wooden stick, twine or Gardener’s bast and of course cut flowers of your choice. To achieve a beautiful result, you should do the following:
- Step 1: Remove the Leaves and thorns on the lower third of the stems so that the flowers stand out better.
- Step 2: Cut the flowers diagonally and put them in for a few hours fresh water. This way they can soak up water again and later gain better stability.
- Step 3: Remove the flowers from the water and tie like varieties together into small bundles. You attach these to the branch so that the small bouquets come with them flowers downwards dangle. This means they stay in their original shape after drying.
- Step 4: Hang the branch in a warm and dry place on. Tip: The flowers should not be exposed to direct sunlight during the drying process, as this bleaches the color of the flowers.
- Step 5: Depending on the variety, you can “harvest” your dried flowers after a few days or weeks. To make delicate dried flowers last longer, you can treat them with something Hairspray Fix them and then combine them into decorative dry bouquets, arrangements or bouquets.
Tip: Dry yours in this way too, for example bridal bouquet or individual flowers from it to keep as a keepsake. Alternatively, you can press individual flowers from the bouquet. You can find out how to do this below.
DIY: Tie a bouquet of dried flowers
When tying your dried flower bouquet you can creativity Give yourself free rein and put together what you like. If you still have no idea how you want to design your bouquet, you can use the following tips to achieve a beautiful result:
- Choose one or more flowers as central eye-catcher for your bouquet. For this you should choose flowers with large and magnificent flowers. Roses or hydrangeas, for example, are suitable. The exotic protea plant also looks great as a bouquet centerpiece.
- Add another variety to the flowers in the center flowers or grasses such as pampas grass or wheat grass. This way you create a varied basis for your dried flower bouquet.
- Finally, drape Companion flowers around the bouquet. More inconspicuous flowers with smaller flowers or stems with leaves are suitable here. A good choice are, for example, gypsophila, eucalyptus or small, colorful straw flowers.
- Now you can tie your finished bouquet with a ribbon fix and present it as decoration in a matching vase.
DIY: Make a wall wreath
Dried flowers can be used to make not only beautiful bouquets, but also great ones Wall wreaths produce. Whether as a decoration for your own four walls or for a wedding or celebration – a homemade wall wreath made of flowers is always a beautiful eye-catcher. All you need is a metal or Wooden hoops and floral wire.
To make the wreath, first tie the Dried flowers in small bouquets together. Then use the floral wire to attach one bouquet at a time to the hoop. The bouquets should overlap so that there are no “bare spots”. Leave the last third of the hoop free, it looks lighter and more modern than a fully equipped wreath. Finally, you can use a hot glue gun to fill small holes with pretty flower heads.
The creativity There are no limits when it comes to design. For example, combine fresh flowers or leaves with the dried flowers for a summery effect or mix pine cones and rose hips into your wreath in autumn. Feathers can also be a great eye-catcher in a flower wreath.
DIY: Pressing flowers
Another nice way to dry flowers is to press them. Maybe you remember it from your childhood. Depending on how much moisture the flower contains, pressing can take a few days or several weeks. Flat flowers such as violets or daisies are particularly suitable for pressing.
With a book
You can simply press small flowers or cut blossoms between the pages of a book. To do this, insert Piece of cardboard in the book and place one or more flowers on it. Then place a piece of paper on top of the flowers and close the book. After a few days, check on your flowers and replace the discolored piece of paper if necessary.
With a flower press
Instead of a book, you can also have one Flower press use. This consists of two square ones Wooden writing with screws at the corners, cardboard and paper. Layer the materials on top of each other in the following order: the wooden disc at the bottom, then the cardboard, then the paper and then the flowers. Then comes the second paper to cover the flowers, cardboard and on top the second wooden disc. Screw the press tight and replace any discolored paper after a few days.
Tip: Great collagen can be glued with the pressed flowers.