Start out by selecting the roses you want to dry. It will take one to two weeks for your roses to dry completely. Roses dry best hanging upside down. Ensure they have adequate space around each flower so they don’t dry crushed or mashed. Wire coat hangers or linen drying frames are excellent options for hanging your roses. Keep your roses away from light and moisture during this period. You want your roses to dry as quickly as possible without exposure to the sun. Placing a dehumidifier in the room will help your roses dry faster. Don’t place your roses in a damp room such as a bathroom or basement. Your roses will rot rather than drying.
If you wish to include other plant items in your rose wreath you’ll want to dry those now as well. Excellent additions are hydrangea blooms, woody herbs and flowering sages. If you choose to dry hydrangea blooms make sure they have a papery feel to the flowers before you cut them from the plant. Evergreens and waxy plant leaves such as magnolia can also be beautiful wreath materials. Use your imagination and see what’s available in your garden.
Once you have all of your roses and other garden flowers dried. You’re ready to select your wreath materials. I like using a dense grape vine wreath. The grape vine pattern is attractive so it won’t matter if a bit is visible between the flowers. To assemble your wreath you’ll need thin gauge florists wire and a small glue gun. Decorative items can also be added. Choose a color of ribbon that compliments your dried roses as well as the room you’ll be hanging your wreath. Ribbon shouldn’t be your only decorative item. Small shells with holes through their surface can be added in groups. Florist wire can easily be threaded through holes in shells, beads, berries or other decorative accents.
Begin assembling your rose wreath by placing all of your materials out on your work surface. Decide how you want to space your roses and other plant material on the wreath. If your dried roses are smaller they will be easiest to attach with a bit of hot glue. If your roses are larger try pushing florist wire through the back of a bloom or blooms then twisting the wire lightly before pushing through the front of the wreath and securing the wire around back.
Once you’ve placed all of your plant material you can add other decorative wreath accents. Any additional items that suit your room can be added. Don’t feel you can only use some of the more common wreath additions I listed above. See what materials you can find and use your imagination.
Finally wind the ribbon you’ve selected diagonally around your rose wreath. If you’ve placed your dried roses and decorative accents in small groups you can wind the ribbon in the space left between these sections. Finish off your rose wreath with a bow at the top bottom or side if desired. Hang your finished wreath away from direct sunlight in a protected location.
Creating your own rose wreath enables you to bring your flowers indoors permanently. Wreaths created with dried flowers can be costly to purchase. Making your own rose wreath saves you money while giving you a higher quality personalized item.
