Drying Flowers Naturally

Drying Flowers Naturally: Heligan's Favourite Varieties

There's something timeless about dried flowers-the way they hold both colour and memory, long after the garden has faded. At Heligan, we grow many varieties with drying in mind, using gentle, natural methods that preserve beauty through the seasons.

**Why Dry Flowers?** Dried flowers offer more than just decoration. They bring the textures, scents, and colours of the garden indoors, where they can be arranged, gifted, or crafted into keepsakes. With no need for water or constant care, they become enduring reminders of summer's abundance.

**Best Flowers for Drying** At Heligan, our favourites include: - **Strawflower (Helichrysum)** - Vibrant and papery, it holds its colour exceptionally well. - **Statice (Limonium)** - Delicate clouds of purple and white that dry beautifully. - **Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist)** - Its seed pods are sculptural and unique. - **Lavender** - Long stems and soothing fragrance make it a natural choice. - **Amaranth** - Long tassels bring drama to any arrangement, even when dry.

**How to Dry Flowers** Harvest flowers in the late morning, once the dew has evaporated. Choose blooms just before their peak-too open and they may shatter when dry. Strip lower leaves and tie small bunches with twine. Hang upside down in a cool, dry, and dark space. Within 2-4 weeks, they'll be ready.

**Storing and Using** Once dry, flowers can be wrapped in tissue paper and stored in boxes, or arranged into everlasting bouquets, garlands, or wreaths. They also make lovely additions to handmade cards, table settings, and bath salts.

Drying flowers is a gentle way to extend the garden's joy. And with each stem, you're holding not just a flower-but a moment of the season, saved for later.

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Wellness & Lifestyle

To garden is to live seasonally, to return to presence through care, patience, and daily attention.

Here you'll find quiet reflections, sensory rituals, and simple ways to bring the gardens calm into your home and life.

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Flowers & Crafting

Some things we grow for colour, others for scent and some for the joy of preserving fleeting beauty.

At Heligan, flowers are not just grown, but gathered, dried, and woven into the rhythms of home and celebration.

Click here to learn how we carry beauty beyond the bloom

Tools & Techniques

From hand-forged blades to long-trusted methods passed between gardeners, the tools we use shape not just our soil but our understanding.

Here, you'll find the implements that bring the Heligan gardens to life and the quiet knowledge behind their use, shared by those who use them daily.

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From Garden to Plate

The journey doesn't end at the seed bed. What begins with planting often finds its way into the kitchen, into the jar, onto the plate.

Explore recipes, harvest rituals, and preserving techniques inspired by Heligan's productive gardens - carrying the gardens story into every meal.

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Create with the Garden

Subscribe and learn how to grow, dry, and craft with seasonal flowers plus ideas from Heligans' own cutting beds.

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