Tips for drying and storing strawflowers
Strawflowers (Helichrysum bracteatum in most seed catalogues) are my favorite flowers to grow for drying. Why?
There are so many beautiful colours available to grow from seed
Each plant is very productive (cut-and-come-again)
Their colour lasts for a longer time than most dried flowers
Their daisy shape is really cheerful and if you pick them at different stages of openness, you’ll end up with a mix of flower shapes
They’re versatile - use the whole stem or just the heads!
Overall, strawflowers are pretty straightforward to dry but they can still be susceptible to mould so I wanted to share my tips for how to dry and store them - both full flowers and flower heads only.
Harvesting
It’s best to harvest strawflowers when they’re dry because rainwater can collect in open flowers and cause rotting or mould. However, I’ve picked some when they’re a little bit wet and then left them to sit in a bucket of water under cover for a couple of days until the surface moisture evaporated (this kept them from wilting before hanging them to dry - I always strip leaves from the bottom of the stems and that’s easier to do when the stems aren’t wilted and floppy). I like to harvest them in different stages of floral openness for a range of flower shapes. Remember they’ll continue to open as they dry so a flower head that’s mostly closed at picking could be partly to fully open by the time it’s dry.
Drying
I dry strawflowers by hanging them upside down in bunches of 8-10 stems in a warm place with good air circulation (my workroom or my potting shed). In a hot summer drying can take just a few of weeks in my drying areas. Normally, I say drying is finished when the stem and flowers no longer feel cool to the touch, however strawflower heads are papery on the outside so dryness isn’t so easy to judge by touch - they can still have some moisture inside even after the stems feel completely dry. If you’re unsure, dry them for longer. Like all other flowers I dry and store them away from direct sunlight.
Drying and dried strawflowers in my flower workroom
Storing
Like most dried flowers, strawflowers need to be stored in a dry place. I store strawflowers hanging upside down in my workroom. You can also store them in boxes as long as you ensure they’re completely dry before storing otherwise mould can start growing. If you’re going to store them in a box, you might want to leave them hanging to dry for a little bit longer. Then I’d suggest leaving the lid of the box ajar for while, checking for mould every few days. Cardboard is probably best for storage, but I’ve successfully used plastic as well.
What to do about drooping stems?
If you notice the strawflowers in an arrangement beginning to droop, it means they’ve taken in a bit of moisture and the stems have started to go soft near the flower heads. They might be in a place that has too much humidity in the air. You can correct the drooping by hanging them upside down in a warm dry place for a week or so, allowing them to dry out and straighten again. Another solution to droopy stems is to wire the stems to give them support or trim the ends so the strawflowers sit lower in the arrangement and have more support from neighboring flowers. You might want to relocate the arrangement to a less humid spot.
Drying and storing strawflower heads only
When it gets to be the end of the season, I start harvesting strawflower heads only. Provided we don’t have any frosts, this is usually October when the temperatures have dropped a bit too much for me to want to dry them as whole flowers with stems - it just takes so much longer and they seem to be more susceptible to rot and mould, especially if it’s been a damp autumn.
One of the interesting things about strawflowers is that they continue to open even after drying, so if I’m harvesting before a frost, I will pick ALL the flower heads - including the ones that are barely open and all the small ones. This past October I placed trays of them near the warmth of my fireplace where they gradually opened up (I also wanted to help them dry off a bit as we had a very rainy autumn). Placing them in the sun for a short time will also help them to open.
Also be aware that dried strawflowers will close up tight if exposed to very humid, cool and cloudy weather, such as flowers that are used in outdoor installations or wreaths. I used dry strawflowers and paper daisies in an outdoor display this past summer and after a rainy night I found them all closed up which completely changed the impact they had in the wreaths and hanging installation.
In the past I’ve dried strawflower heads by just leaving them spread out on my work table. But this autumn I had so many that I decided to use my hanging herb dryer. It has tiers of mesh fabric that allow air to reach all sides of the flower heads. How long to leave them? Until you think they’re dry and then leave them a couple of weeks longer before storing them. Again, drying needs to be done in a warm room - ambient room temperature in a house is usually fine. Cold temperatures promote mould growth. (Click on the images below to enlarge).
It’s absolutely essential that strawflower heads are completely dry before storing them in a box. Because they’re off the stems there’s a lot less space for air circulation between them - this is the perfect environment for mould to start growing and just a small amount of moisture can make that happen. I’ve found mould growing in my strawflower heads once but since I started leaving them to dry for longer I’ve never had the problem again.
If you’re planning to wire your strawflower heads, it’s a good idea to do that when the heads are still fairly fresh so it’s easier to insert the wire. You can leave them to dry on the wire.
I know this post is coming out after the 2024 British flower growing season is pretty much over, but hopefully it’ll be helpful to future first-time strawflower growers and dryers. Got any other tips? Please share them in the comments!
