For flowers that last, the answer is cut and dried

It’s easy to grow your own flowers to dry – an affordable and sustainable way to create beautiful arrangements at home

My first exposure to dried flowers was as dusty, pastel-shaded posies on doily-covered tables. So when my floristry-expert mate Chanel told me that dried flower arrangements were back in vogue, my reaction was a judgmental eye-roll.

However, in their latest incarnation, dried flowers are simple and structural, in displays often of a single species, celebrating the forms of nature. The look is more “wabi-sabi” (the Japanese aesthetic appreciation for age and imperfection) than “potpourri” tweeness. Lasting for at least a year before they need replacing, they are, of course, far more sustainable, more affordable, and frankly less faff than buying fresh-cut flowers. I am now fascinated by the concept, especially as many species are at their most beautiful in their dried form. While the majority are bought ready-cut, most of them are easy to grow and dry at home, providing a steady source of new material with which to express creativity.

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* This article was originally published here