How to Take Care of Your Dried Flowers

You just returned home from the market with a gorgeous dried flower arrangement and wreath! How can you make them last and last, so you can enjoy the beauty as long as possible?

Here are 9 tips about how to take care of your dried flowers.

Do Not Add Water to the Vase of Your Dried Flower Arrangement

I know what you're thinking, "Okay, Captain Obvious.", but old habits die hard and some people forget they don't need to add water. Water will rot and mold the stems.

Do Not Hang Your Dried Flower Wreath Outside

The wind, rain, snow, sunlight, and humidity will damage the flowers.

Avoid Direct Sunlight

The direct sunlight will fade the bold colors of your flowers.

Avoid High Humidity

High humidity, like water in a vase, will cause your flowers to mold and rot.

Keep Your Dried Flowers Away from an Open Flame

I know, I know, here we go again with the Captain Obvious thing! But, some of the wreaths are just the right size for a candle base as a table centerpiece. Very tempting! You can still use them for that gorgeous centerpiece, just use a battery operated flameless candle in place of a wax candle with an open flame. Problem solved!

Be Gentle

Dried flowers are very delicate.

Be careful when handling your creation. Place it in a safe permanent location where it is least likely to get knocked over or crushed.

Keep It Out of Reach from Children and Pets

The flowers are not edible and we all know how much puppies and babies love to put things in their mouth! Yep! Cats, too!

Dust Off Your Dried Flowers with a Hair Dryer

Remember, dried flowers are delicate so don't blow them to smithereens with the setting on high! Keep it on the lowest setting and a slight distance from the flowers. It only needs to blow off some dust, not petals.

When You Are Ready to Put It Away

Store your dried flowers in a large (big enough that it won’t crush them) cardboard box in a dry location away from direct sunlight and humidity.

With the proper care, your dried flowers should look beautiful for at least 2 years, maybe longer!

Spring Bouquet Flowers

I’m often asked, “What flower is this?” from customers who stop by our booth at our farmer’s markets.

New customers are amazed at the variety of flowers we grow and long time customers notice a new flower in the mix right away.

We are delighted to satisfy your curiosity about the flowers in your bouquet by answering your questions.

Perhaps you’ve forgotten the name I told you, or you had a long list of errands to run floating around in your head, so you didn’t remember to ask what that one is called.

I thought it would be a good idea to wright about some of them here, so you have a place to read about them until you have their names memorized.

Sweet William

Sweet William is a staple flower in our spring bouquets. I can’t imagine them without it. They bring bright bold pinks and purples to our color palette with sprays of tiny flowers. They add a fresh scent that smells like spring and our customers rave about what a long lasting cut flower they are.

Feverfew

These cheerful white and yellow flowers scream SPRING to me. Our spring bouquets wouldn’t be say spring without the fresh scent and airy delicate look they bring to our designs.

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)

Black-Eyed Susans are often mistaken for sunflowers. The dark center and bright yellow petals are similar enough to the beauty of the iconic sunflower that many are fooled. We grow many different colors of rudbeckia on our farm. Peach, yellow, burgundy, and orange are all found in our fields.

Larkspur

Larkspur doesn’t just add it’s vibrant colors to our designs, it also brings a lovely spiky texture. You’ll find it hold it’s color well when dried. Our dried bunches are very popular at our fall markets. Both the seeds and the blooms are toxic to ingest, so be careful to keep them away from pets and children.

Orlaya

Orlaya brings the delicate look of lace to our bouquets. The crisp white color is hard to overlook when paired with other vibrant flowers like sweet william and snapdragon.

Snapdragons

We can’t leave out snapdragons in our list of beautiful spring flowers! They have a fresh scent, wide variety of colors, and last a long time in the vase. When the bottom blooms fade and drop, the top blooms will continue to open. Snapdragons are such a magnificent fresh cut flower!

Wintertime Blooms: Paperwhites

Winter is a great time for growing!

When the weather turns cold and the days are short I long for my fresh garden flowers, but they are all outside sleeping, so I turn to growing bulbs inside. It is easy and fun, and your effort will be rewarded with weeks of beauty to enjoy.

Growing Paperwhites is a great place to begin if you have never grown bulbs indoors. They are easy to grow and can be enjoyed from Thanksgiving through early spring!

What are Paperwhites?

They are a tender bulb that comes from the warm Mediterranean climate. They do not like, nor do they need a cold period to bloom, like tulips, daffodils, or hyacinths. When you bring your bag of bulbs home from the market, keep them in the paper bag until you pot them up. Do not store them in the refrigerator, or outside in the cold.

I like to grow “Nir” Paperwhites. They have a moderate musky fragrance with many small white blooms that combine to create a large floret. One bulb will grow several tall sturdy stems.

The spring green foliage and stems, combined with the delicate white florets and subtle yellow centers to create a soothing display in a rustic pot.

I like to cut them and place them in some bud vases as a centerpiece for my kitchen table. They bring such a simple elegant look for us to enjoy during a meal.

They will last as long in a vase as they will attached to the bulb.

Here are some “How To’s” you can follow to grow your own beautiful Paperwhites this winter.

Your items list is small:

A Pot (4”deep or more)

Potting Soil

A Window

Nir Paperwhite Bulbs

Water

Activated Charcoal (optional)

You can choose any container 4" inches deep or more.

It can be a rustic old terracotta pot with a drainage hole at the bottom, or a delicate antique soup tureen with no drainage hole. My favorite is a white antique chamber pot!

If you choose a container with no drainage, be sure to add 1/2 teaspoon of activated charcoal before you add your potting soil.

The charcoal will absorb odor from water sitting at the bottom of the container.

Add some potting soil. take care to leave enough room in the pot to add a little more over the bulbs after you plant them.

If you chose a container large enough for several bulbs, place them close together. Paperwhites look lovely when planted alone in a small pot ,too!

Add more soil until 2/3 of the bulb is covered with only the top portion protruding.

Moisten the soil with water and place the container in a cool dark location for 1 week. A basement, closet, or any room without sunlight will suffice.

The bulb will take this time to establish some roots which will help it to grow sturdy stems, strong enough to hold up the flowers without flopping over.

After the seven days have past, move the container to a cool bright location near a window.

Keep the soil moist, not soggy, because it will rot the bulb.

If the stems begin to lean toward the window, rotate the pot.

If they do flop over, cut them and enjoy them in your favorite vase.

Once the flowers stop blooming, just toss the whole thing in the compost pile. They will not rebloom next year if you plant them inside or outside (here in southwest Ohio).

Succession plant your bulbs every 2-3 weeks to have the pleasure of beautiful fresh flowers all winter long!