Who doesn’t like walking into a florist shop and breathing in the wonderful aroma of flowers? It never seems to get old. Wandering amidst the man-made meadow of foliage, twisted branches, dainty filler flowers and vibrant assorted buds, sweeps you off to another place. It is almost hard to believe you are indoors, but there you are. Though, this scene is far from some evergreen field. These beautiful flowers and foliage have a much shorter lifespan than their fellow farm, forest and meadow dwellers. Most cut flowers and foliage last no longer than two weeks separated from their mother plant. This can be also what makes them so special, the need to treasure these beauties as you know they won’t be around forever. However, if there was a way to keep these beautiful blooms around much longer, wouldn’t you jump on that wagon too?

The various methods of drying flowers and foliage, is a technique that dates back hundreds of years. Originating from times when early humans needed plants for food and medicinal purposes throughout the year. Drying them was a key technique that could achieve this, even after the plant’s harvest/growing period was over. Dried herbs, flowers and foods could be kept for months after harvesting, enabling people to have access to their benefits during droughts, winters and famines.

In winter, when flowers weren’t always in bloom or plentiful, people could enjoy life and some colour, in the form of dried flower arrangements, throughout these harsh and sometime dull periods. Though, it is hard to compare the vibrancy in colour of fresh flowers to dried ones. However, some dried flowers, when prepared correctly, do tend to hold their form and colour quite well. Hydrangeas, in particular, are a fantastic example of this.

As we know today, flowers can be much more than just something beautiful to look at. Particular flowers can arouse emotions and memories, hold traditional meaning and mark special occasions. Thus, it has become relatively important to seek particular flowers at key moments in our lives. With fresh flower variety availability dependent on their blooming season, here dried flowers really begin to show their true colours (excuse the cheesy pun 😀 ). If you need to reminisce the occasion you proposed up in the hills on a Lavender Farm, you know a dried fragrant bunch, no matter the time of year, will always be available. Whether the lavender bushes on the farm are blooming or not. Unless, some freak disaster just happens to attack every Lavender farm in the country! The likelihood of that happening? … Pretty slim, thus, dried flowers can broaden opportunity where sometimes fresh fall short.

Availability and longevity however, isn’t the only upside to dried flowers that is bringing about a resurgence. The vintage design trend that reminisces days passed attracts a whimsical soul.

Dried flowers, being such an ancient craft often evokes imagery of a stone cottage on the edge of a forest filled with drying herbs and flowers near the hearth, whilst jars of curiosities line shelves alongside old leather-bound books. Now that’s a place, I know I could escape to!
The vintage appeal of dried flowers can bring this style into homes, wedding venues, attires and so much more.

To arrange them, is also a skill quite unique in its own right and can be quite different from arranging fresh flowers. As dried flowers don’t require a water source to maintain their condition and structure, arranging designs can become structurally creative. Pressed dried flowers can be incorporated into cards and arranged into framed works-of-art. Whole dried flowers can be hot-glued onto ornaments, branches and other objects to decorate them or create 3D designs. The possibilities are endless. So let the creative essences flow!

Using modern technology and preserving methods, dried flowers and foliage can look so hydrated that it is sometime hard to tell the difference between fresh and preserved. Glycerin and wax coating techniques often used for roses, ferns and hydrangeas creates long lasting results with the same appeal as fresh. However, this can sometime add to the cost per stem when purchasing, so if you have ever wondered why dried flowers are more expensive…the cost involved in the process of speed drying flowers for modern demand is why. Not only do you have the costs of growing the fresh plant, you also have the costs (including labour) to dry and possibly preserve the materials as well.

Fresh and dried are both excellent choices in their own very unique ways. It is any wonder both are so popular and becoming more so. We seem to be entering into an age where craftsmanship and individuality is taking a step forward, as we explore creativity and natural beauty in ourselves and the world around us. Don’t hesitate to try something new and indulge in the wonder of a new concepts you possibly haven’t explored before.

Here’s to new experiences and challenging old stigmas! 😀

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