Here’s what plant experts want you to know about drying and preserving flowers for your home or next special occasion. “I enjoy the multiple uses I can get from dried flowers,” northern Arizona master gardener and founder of Elevated Gardening Tina Gustafson tells mbg. Dried flowers can make for lovely additions to crafts, decor, treats, and herbal remedies. And since they last longer than fresh flowers, they tend to be more budget-friendly. They’re also low maintenance, so they’re nice for people who love the idea of working with and having plants but aren’t great at keeping up with watering cycles. Some couples also choose to use everlasting dried flowers as an alternative to fresh-cut flowers for their weddings. Dried flowers make it easy to keep your favorite blooms around, which is especially nice when that bloom is no longer in season in your area. Considering that 80% of fresh-cut flowers available in the U.S. are still imported from faraway places like Colombia and Ecuador, drying flowers can also be a more sustainable option. To sum up the benefits of dried flowers: They’re beautiful. They’re versatile. They’re full of life, even without moisture. Botanical artist and founder of Copper and Moss Botanical Design Hannah Williams says it best: “Dried flowers are a captured moment that can last for many years to come.” Every bloom is its own game and requires different levels of involvement, caution, and precision. However, a good rule of thumb is to find flowers when they’re either partially or fully open, depending on the bloom and your reason for preserving. Here’s your introduction to a few of the most popular drying methods to play around with. With a unique view on life, she taps into her own experiences to guide folks to live life for themselves, empowering them to explore their inner wild and find their own way in adulthood. Her weekly newsletter is a tiny way she furthers her mission to hold space for the unfathomable, romantic, and messy parts of life that make it that much more beautiful.
