Back

Advice for Drying Flowers

Goodwin Creek Gardens started as a dried flower farm over 20 years ago. At that time there was very little information available to help us choose the right flowers to grow and, most importantly, when to harvest them. We learned mostly by trial and lots of error. We’ve put this experience into a very useful and handsome book, An Everlasting Garden. Though very brief, the following chart will also help you to pick your flowers at the proper time. You can also search through our plant and seed catalog by selecting the dried flower category.

When to Harvest Flowers
1 when the seed pod is fully formed
2 when the flower is fully opened
3 when the flower is a tight bud
4 when the flower bud is semiopen
5 after the petals have fallen from the flower head
6 pick the leafy stem
Varieties to Grow for Dried Flowers When To Harvest
Acroclinium (Helipterum roseum) 4
Amaranth (Amaranthus) 2
Ammobium (Ammobium alatum) 3
Artemisia (Artemisia) 6
Baby's Breath (Gypsophila paniculata) 2
Beebalm (Monarda) 1
Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) 2
Carline Thistle (Carlina) 2
Celosia (Celosia) 2
Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengii) 1
Cupids Dart (Catananche caerulea) 2
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) 2
Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) 2
Globe Thistle (Echinops) 3
Golden Thistle (Centaurea macrocephala) 2
grasses 2
Horehound (Marrubium vulgare) 5
Indigo (Baptisia australis) 3
Lambs Ears (Stachys byzantina) 3
Larkspur (Consolida ambigua) 2
Lavender (Lavandula) 4
Lemon Beebalm (Monarda citriodora) 5
Love in Mist (Nigella) 1
Money Plant (Lunaria annua) 1
Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum) 5
Oregano (Origanum) 5
Rue (Ruta graveolens) 1
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) 2
Sage (Salvia) 3
Santolina (Santolina) 2
Seaholly (Eryngium) 2
Sea Lavender (Limonium) 2
Starflower (Scabiosa stellata) 5
Statice (Limonium sinuatum) 2
Strawflower (Helichrysum bracteatum) 3
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) 2
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) 2
Xeranthemum (Xeranthemum annuum) 2
Yarrow (Achillea) 2
Back