The Best Summer Flowers for Dried Bouquets

Everyone loves the lush bloom of colorful flowers in a summer garden. The only thing better is being able to dry and preserve those flowers and enjoy them for the rest of the year. There are flowers that are more amenable to drying than others, making the process fun and easy. Think about setting aside a bed in the garden devoted to flowers meant to be dried. All of the following flowers can be dried by hanging them upside down in a dry, dark place for several weeks to a month.

Some flowers have a dry, straw-like texture even in bloom, and these are very easy to preserve. The classic example of this is the strawflower, or Helichrysum bracteatum. It comes in bright shades of pink, yellow, orange and white and is a small(quarter to fifty cent piece sized), round flower atop a thin stem. The stem is sometimes limp and may need to be braced with wire after the flower is dried.

Globe amaranth(Gomphrena globosa) is, as it sounds, a globe shaped flower about the size of a small gumdrop. It comes in shades of pink and white and gives a great “fuzzy” texture to any dried arrangement.

Lavender (lavandula)is probably the most commonly seen dried flower. It is easy to grow and has beautiful deep blue-purple blooms all along the stem. It’s widely known for its scent, which has many uses in aromatherapy.

Statice (limonium) is a flower that is perfectly suited to drying. There are a number of variations, such as German, English and sea statice. Statice comes in shades of purple, yellow, blue, pink and white. Sea statice is particularly delicate and lovely in any bouquet. It thrives in sandy soil, and can take heat but preferably not high humidity. (Annual Gardening) It’s often found in plots near the ocean.

Bishop’s flower (Ammi majus) is a cooler climate plant that has fine white flowers suitable for drying. (Annual Gardening) Like sea statice, its flowers have a light and airy look.

The last recommendation is unusual and not something you will usually find in a list of flowers for preserving. The Stella D’oro lily (Hemerocallis)is often found in garden beds in front of banks and municipal buildings. It is a lily that will rebloom during the Summer season and requires minimal maintenance. It can’t be dried, but it does leave behind a tough, woody pod that gives interest to any dried arrangement.

After your flowers are dried, give them a quick spritz of hairspray and arrange them in a vase. You’ll be able to enjoy your bouquets all through the year and even travel without hiring a plant caretaker!

Sources: Annual Gardening, compiled by the Missouri Botanical Garden(June Hutson and Brian Ward with Ruth Rogers Clausen, Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, 1995

www.theflowerexpert.com/

www.landscaping.about.com/od/perennialflowers/p/stella_de_oro.htm

personal experience