Extend the pleasure from your English Garden by creating wonderful bunches of dried flowers. They will remind you of summer and also make lovely presents – which although are cheap and very straightforward to make, are wonderful to receive!

The easiest and oldest way to dry flowers is by air hanging and the easiest to dry are flowers which are called everlasting such as straw flowers (Helichrysum bracteatum) or Xeranthemum annum and Statice (Limonium sinuatum) – see photograph. Here Statice is being grown especially for drying – in part of the vegetable garden.

• Chinese lanterns
• Chive flowers
• Cornflowers
• Delphiniums
• Feverfew
• Gypsohila - Baby's Breath
• Honesty
• Lavender
• Larkspur
• Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)
• Roses
• Salvias
• Yarrow

Picking your flowers for drying

• Pick them on a warm dry day after all the dew has gone 10-11am, because any moisture in the blooms will make them go mouldy!
• Try to pick only the best looking blooms
• Flowers that only bloom for a day are not good for drying
• Select buds as well as nearly opened flowers – remember the flowers will open more as they dry

After cutting carefully remove any leaves from the bottoms of the stems and make small bunches. These can be held together with an elastic band.
If you can’t deal with them straight away then pop them into a bucket with tepid water – but do try to deal with them as soon as possible for best results.

All the flowers in the above list can be dried just hanging up in a warm dry and dark room or cupboard (or attic,if it is not too hot) for two or three weeks.

Hang from ceiling beams, or put garden canes across the backs of two chairs and hang bunches from the garden canes. Make sure that there is plenty of space between your bunches so that the air can circulate freely - this way your flowers won't go mouldy. A dehumidifier if you have one can be placed in the room to aid drying.
If you can’t manage a completely dark room or cupboard then try to find a dry warm shady spot as sunlight makes the flower colors fade. The best colors to use are blue, yellow , white and purple, the pinks tend to fade with age - but experiment and dry flowers that look good in your home.

You will know when your flowers are dry because they will feel crisp to touch all over. Now you can make arrangements or posies.

Enjoy your English Garden!