Drying Tips

Flowers and Herbs
The secret to successfully air-drying flowers and herbs for maximum color retention is to dry them as quickly as possible. Gather bunches of flowers and herbs, tie them together with string in small bundles, and hang them upside down in a warm, dry, dark area -- in an attic or empty closet, or from the ceiling of an unused room. Air-drying times vary with the humidity, but most flowers and herbs will be dry enough to use within 7 to 15 days.

Citrus Peels
Cut long, thin spirals of citrus peel from whole fruits. Air-dry them on a cookie sheet (or inside a paper-towel-lined gift box) for 10 to 15 days.

Hydrangeas
Follow these simple steps for bodacious dried blooms to use in fall and winter decorations throughout the house.

Harvest the heads when flowers have matured and developed a papery consistency.

Remove leaves from stems, and hang upside down in a warm, dry, dark, airy room.

When completely dry (usually a couple of weeks), store in dry location out of direct sunlight.

To enhance flower color, spritz dry flowers with diluted Rit dye.