How to Make Your Own DIY Dried Flower Arrangement

This article shows you how to make your own DIY dried flower arrangement for your home or for any special occasion. 

If you are new to this blog: Welcome! My name is Anna and I share information on collecting antique/vintage items, refurbishing furniture and making small crafts/projects. The purpose of this blog is to show you how to use creativity and antiques to make your home beautiful. In addition to information on the blog, you can also follow me on the following social media accounts Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.

Back Story

If you have a garden, then you likely have dried fresh flowers from your garden.  Smaller flowers such as lavender, sage, baby’s breath, small roses and strawflowers are among those florals that dry beautifully. You can also dry larger flowers such as hydrangeas and sunflowers. It’s also fun to dry small bunches of herbs.

Recently, I have also noticed a resurgence of dried flowers at retailers like Terrain and Anthropologie.  Drying flowers is a great way to bring some color into your home during the winter months.  

Momentous occasions in our lives also are a great reason to dry flowers.  Wedding flowers are a perfect example.  Creating a dried flower bouquet is a beautiful way to remember a special event or time in your life.   

Also, you can dry fresh flowers from your local florist or farmers market.

The dried flowers I used in this tutorial were purchased (already dried) at my local farmers market from Halfmoon Flowers Farm.

However, once flowers have been dried and saved, people often don’t know what to do with them.  So today, I am showing you how to make a DIY dried flower arrangement. 

This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase items from links provided in this post, I will receive a small commission. However there is no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. I am presenting you with my own opinion and honest review of the information provided. If you want to read the entire disclosure policy, please click HERE. You can also read my privacy policy by clicking HERE.

Types of Flowers that Dry Well

Using the right flowers (type of flower), foliage, grasses and seed pods will ensure success when drying flowers.  Here is a list of some of the easiest flowers to dry.

• Hydrangeas – since these are large, they make great focal flowers
• Statice – bright purple colors
• Strawflowers
• Larkspur – beautiful pink, purple and blue colors
• Nigella Love-in-a-mist
• Celosias
• Globe Amaranth or Pink Amaranth
• Eucalyptus (foliage) – great filler foliage
• Shirley Poppies (seed pods)
• Bunny Tail Grass

Erin from Floret has an excellent article on the best types of flowers to dry.  When flowers have dried, handle them with care.  The petals and stems of all dried florals are fragile and brittle.  

It’s worth noting that almost all flowers can be dried. Those listed above, are generally the easiest florals to dry and the most frequently used.

Methods to Dry Flowers

Air Drying 

First and foremost, we should talk about how to dry flowers.  There are a variety of methods.  My preferred approach is to hang them upside down inside in a space 68-72 degrees that’s dry and dark. If you want to retain the color of the flowers, it is important to hang them upside down away from direct sunlight.  Hanging the flowers upside down helps to keep the stems straight and the flower heads upright.  Simply make small bundles of flowers or foliage using a rubber band or twine and then hang them upside down secured to a rack.  Most flowers need a couple or weeks to dry using this method, depending upon the moisture content. 

Hydrangeas are my favorite flowers to dry using this method.  It’s almost impossible to fail at drying hydrangeas. 

Silica Gel

Another way to dry flowers involves using silica gel, available at craft stores such as hobby lobby or Michaels. These are tiny beads that absorb the moisture from flowers and leave the color intact.  Using a plastic container you put down a layer of silica gel, layer your flowers and then gently add more silica gel around them.  Place the lid on the container and let the flowers sit for 1 week or so.  While this process can take longer than the air drying method, floral colors are preserved better. Here is a 6 minute video showing you how to preserve flowers with silica gel.  The drawback to this process is you can’t really preserve the long stems of the flowers.  However, it is the perfect way to preserve flower heads.

You can purchase silica gel here if you want to try drying flowers using this method.

Pressing Flowers

You can also press flowers.  This involves drying flowers be pressing them between pieces of paper or cardboard.  It works best on small flowers or filler flowers. Some examples flowers that are pressed include violas, pansies, lavender, cosmos, marigolds, chrysanthemums, and daisies.  You can also use this method for preserving filler flowers such as baby’s breath, seeded eucalyptus and herbs.  

You can purchase a flower press here if you want to press your own flowers.

Here is a tutorial on how to press fern fronds.

DIY Dried Flower Arrangement 

Once you have some dried flowers, how do you arrange them?  These dried florals tend to be fragile and the flower stems can break easily.  I am breaking down the process into 3 simple steps.  During the winter, I purchased some dried flowers at my local farmers market.  I also had some dried flowers from my garden.  Using two different vessels, I will show you how I made my DIY flower arrangement. 

Note: when creating a dried flower arrangement, it’s a good idea to have different textures.  So, in addition to dried flowers, it’s nice to also use seed pods and dried grasses. 

Supplies

• Dried flowers in colors and sizes you prefer
• Vase, vessel or container for displaying dried flower arrangement
• Florist foam
• Chopstick or pencil
• Snips or scissors
• chicken wire – optional 
• florist wire – optional

I decided to make two dried flower arrangements. One using a head shaped planter and the other using an old basket.

Step 1 – Prepare the Container or Vase

I decided to create a dried flower arrangement in two different containers – a head shaped planter and in an old basket.  Fill the interior of your vessel with floral foam.  Cut the foam down to size if needed.  Then using either a chop stick or pencil, puncture holes into the the florist foam.  These holes will be used to hold the dried floral stems. 

As an alternative, you can loosely ball up some chicken wire and use it in the place of florist foam.  Similarly, if you are creating a miniature dried flower arrangement, you can loosely ball up some florist wire and place it into the vessel. (For example, making a small arrangement in an egg cup holder)

Step 2 –  Separate Dried Florals

Most dried florals come in bundles.  Gently separate the dried florals and organize them into piles by flower type and color.  Take your time with this process, to ensure the dried florals don’t get damaged.

 

Step 3- Create Your Dried Flower Arrangement

Using your larger dried flowers, gently place the stems into the floral foam.   When the largest flowers, which will be the focal point of your arrangement, have been placed in the foam, start to place the medium sized dried flowers.  

Rotate your vase or vessel as you are placing each stem.  TIP:  put your vase on a lazy-susan so you can easily rotate it as you are creating your dried floral arrangement. I wish I had used a lazy-susan when creating these arrangements. This will ensure an even distribution of the type of flowers and colors.   You will also want to pay attention to the height of the flowers as you place them in your arrangement.

Below are photos of the DIY dried flower arrangements created. You can choose any variety of flowers and or colors to suit your style. You can also create dried flower arrangements for seasonal displays. This is a particularly popular idea for autumn displays.

Pin the images below to bookmark this tutorial for future reference.

Other Ideas for Dried Flowers

In addition to making dried flower arrangements, here are some other ideas for using dried flowers.  Any of these ideas is a creative project that would make a meaningful and unique gift. 

• Make dried floral bouquets
• Make a dried flower shadow box
• Create a beautiful wreath
• Use pressed flowers in picture frames
• Make your own potpourri

If desired, you can add a few drops of essential oils to enhance the smell of your dried flower bouquets or creations. 

In Closing

Dried flowers are a beautiful addition to any occasion and are a wonderful way to remember celebratory events.  DIY dried flower arrangements enhance any home decor and can be used to reflect the season.  Last summer, I dried bunches of hydrangeas with fresh blooms and am happy I did because I am using them in my home decor this summer.  Happy creating with dried flowers!

You may also enjoy:

How to Make A Simple Terra Cotta Pot Wreath