Drying Gardenia Flowers

Gardenia flowers are beloved for their appearance and fragrance. To keep the look of the flower many people like to dry them to put them in a vase or hang them as a decoration. Drying gardenias is an easy process, and you will be able to keep your dried flowers for years to come. Like any flower, there is a process to follow when drying gardenias to make them last.

Step 1 - Pick Flowers

Before you dry any flowers you need to know which ones you should pick so they can be dried easily. Always pick the flowers before they are in full bloom. This will help with the drying process because the petals will not fall off as easily as they might if you were to dry to a gardenia flower that is in full bloom.

Step 2 - Group the Flowers Together

Once you have picked the gardenias that you wish to dry, you will need to group them together. Groups of four or five flowers work best. Anything more may be too much and might not dry adequately because they are too many flowers grouped together.

Step 3 - Tie the Flowers

After you have grouped the flowers you will need to securely tie them together. Use a string, rubber band, or ribbon to hold all of the flowers together. Tie the string around the end of the flowers, close to the ends. Tie the string tight so that none of the stems can fall out of the bunch.

Step 4 - Hang Upside Down

After you have grouped and tied the flowers together you will need to hang the bunch of flowers upside down. Hang the flowers upside down in a cool area, where it is dark. Keeping the flowers in a cool area will help the drying process work properly, instead of drying out too quickly and having the petals dry up and fall off of the flower.

Give the gardenia flowers about two to three weeks to hang before trying to take them down. Normally, it takes this long for the flowers to dry properly. When there is no vibrant color left in the petals, you will know that the flowers are completely dried. However, it is always best to try and take down the flowers before the petals start to fall off of the plant.

Drying flowers is a great way to retain the flower's beauty and to create an inexpensive accessory for your home. Make sure that you always remember to pick the gardenia flowers that you want to dry, right before it is in full bloom. Group only a few flowers together and tie them upside down to dry out. You will then be able to enjoy a long-lasting decorative flower that you can have forever.