DIY dried arrangement (part 2)

So you're getting the hang of floral arranging and want to try another one? Here's another flower guide we created with Homes to Love. Follow the video guide or read the step by step guide below.

what you’ll need:

How to dry flowers:

Unlike fresh flowers, dried flowers take a little bit of pre-thought and preparation.

If you receive a beautiful bunch of blooms, enjoy them fresh and then just before they start to wilt, take them out of their water and hang them upside down, out of direct sunlight.

But don’t just rely on bought flowers to provide you with some dried inspiration. As Rosie shows us above, flowers and foliage from our own gardens can work just as well too. Try looking for ferns, palm fronds and flowering foliage.

Hydrangeas have woody stems, so they don’t require hanging to dry out. Simply place them in an empty vase once their stems have dried.

How to create a dried flower arrangement

When your flowers and foliage have dried out, it’s now time to get creative with your arrangement.

If you use a wide, short vase as Rosie has done in the video above, fill it with chicken wire to help keep the stems in place and the structure of your arrangement intact. Remember foliage become brittle when dried and have little flexibility, so you’ll need to be careful when placing them into the vase.

-Mould your chicken wire into a ball shape with your hands and place it into your vase, filling the space inside. Use some floral tape to hold it in place.

-Then, start adding your large leaves and foliage to your vase, using these to establish the shape of your arrangement. You might need to use your snips here to trim any twigs and branches at the bottom of your stems.

-Next, add your focal flowers to the centre/front of your arrangement. These look best in odd quantities ie. one, three or five.

-Lastly, finish with your small, delicate flowers to give your arrangement whimsy and movement.

Then voila, you arrangement is ready to take pride of place in your home.