Fall is in the air and soon everything will be turning brown and covered in snow. It is a great time of year to grab some of your favorite ornamental grasses, pods, or easy to dry flowers such as babies breathe. Some plants that are great for drying include, but not limited to are: Strawflower, fennel, wheat, Queen Ann’s lace, pole beans, heliopsis, black broom corn, cockscomb, safflower, prairie dropseed, pampas grass, poppy heads, feather reed, blue oat, cord grass, maiden grass, ravenna grass, and so many more.
How to air dry your product
I am only going to be talking about air drying, not pressing flowers. This is for arrangements so having the three dimensional aspect is important. I also typically don’t bleach or glue my products. I try to choose products that can maintain their integrity once dried. However, gluing is an option and some people bleach grasses to get a brighter white color.
Once you have collected your grasses, pods, flowers, etc take some twine and tie the end of the stems. I tend to do smaller groupings of the same products vs mixing them together as plants dry at different speeds. Once you have tied the ends of the stems you will want to hang them upside-down which allows the product to stiffen in an upright position when you flip it over and use it in your arrangements. It is recommended to let them dry in a cool dark location. However, honestly I start in my garage the majority of the time because I like to make sure any hidden bugs have made their way out. After a few days in the garage I will often move them to a basement to hang. Then I wait… until the stems are fully dried and to your liking. Once this has happens you can untie them and begin making your arrangement. If you wish to try gluing or starching your product you can easily find videos of this on YouTube.
How to make your arrangement
This is the time to have fun. I often find less is more when it comes to dried arrangements. I will often just do a big vase of one kind with ornamental dried grasses as shown here. Even just a small vase with some dainty dried white flowers is beautiful in a minimalist way. However there are no rules. I suggest playing around with it until it is the height and width you like. Keep in mind these are real plants that have just dried out. In time the integrity may change and you may want to create a new arrangement.
