Easy to grow flowers for drying.

Dried flowers bring a natural beauty and texture to your home, crafts, and gifts all year round. If you're new to growing flowers for drying, you're in for a treat many of the best blooms are surprisingly easy to grow, harvest and dry, even for beginners.

Whether you're creating wreaths, pressed flower or resin art, making potpourri or rustic bouquets, these tried-and-true flowers are simple to grow and dry beautifully.

Here are some of the easiest flowers to grow for drying, with just a brief overview of how to get started. Click on each flower name to read an in-depth guide to growing, harvesting, and drying.

Nigella Pods (aka love-in-a-mist)

Nigella are one of my favourite dried flowers as they have a real vintage feel about them. They have a delicate leaf structure that curls around the pod when dried. This is one of the advantages to growing your own as the fine leaf is usually removed when you purchase from a store as it often falls off and you're left with just the pod. The other advantage is that I often see stores selling nigella varieties with the slender pods (like african bride), I guess this because they're less fragile and easier to handle for shipping etc but I find the round pods with the purple sripes far more appealing (varieties such as 'Love-in-a-Mist). This is just my opinion, grow whichever you like the best or hey if you have the space, grow them both.

Nigella pods with stems can be visualy appealling just bunched on thier own or look great in a varied arrangement. The pods can be snipped off and added to potporri or used as table scatters. Single stems can be added to wreaths or small dried flower posies.  

Nigella is very easy to grow (I find it is almost weed like in my climate) as it self seeds and pops up every year. In my mothers garden, where its rocky, dry and no weeding undertaken, you can count on the nigella flowers to be present in the same spot each year. 

Quick growing tip: Seeds can be direct sown in the spring and will come away over the summer. Depending on your climate you may be able to get two plantings before the cold stops growth. They self seed and usually new flowers pop up each year. A little note though we do get frosts so it's advised if you are sowing indoors to place in the fridge for 2 weeks before hand to give them a cold snap and wake them up and get them going (called stratifying). 

The key to getting the pods is not to cut to early as there are many stages and you'll have to leave the flowers to die off and wait until the seed pods form.

How to Grow Nigella Pods

Statice Stems

Another easy favourite (I'm probably gonna say that about each of the flowers listed) Statice offers clusters of vibrant, papery blooms in blues, purples, and pinks. It's a favorite for floral bouquets and wreaths.

Quick growing tip: Best started indoors and transplanted. Prefers well-drained soil and full sun.

How to Grow Statice

Strawflowers

Papery petals and vivid colors that last for years. Strawflowers are a must for dried bouquets and are also very versitile for crafting. This is the main flower we grow for our botanicals business as the beautiful flower heads have such a variety of uses by our customers.

Quick growing tip: Start in spring, plant in full sun, and remove heads often.

How to Grow Strawflowers

Globe Amaranth aka Gomphrena 

Globe Amaranth, also known as Gomphrena, is one of the most reliable dried flowers for beginners. These adorable, clover-shaped blooms come in a cheerful mix of pinks, purples, oranges, and whites, and they retain their color exceptionally well after drying, even after years in storage. In our botanicals business, we mainly harvest just the flower heads while they’re still quite small and firm, as they're a top seller to crafters, they use them for embedding in resin, adding to potpourri, in natural confetti, and to decorate handmade soaps and candles.

Gomphrena thrives in heat and full sun, making it perfect for summer gardens. It’s best to direct sow after the last frost, though you can start them indoors or under cover in seed trays in colder zones. Plants are drought-tolerant and will bloom continuously until the cold weather or the rains come.

When harvesting for drying, you can snip the individual heads with a tiny stem and spread them on a mesh tray or wire rack in a warm, airy place. Avoid bunching or stacking, as they dry best when spaced out. Within a week, they’re ready to use and will last beautifully for years in your craft stash. If you are wanting to use them in a bunched floral display, let them grow slightly bigger and then snip the whole stem. Remove bottom leaves and hang to dry, allowing about 1-2 weeks.

Quick growing tip: Direct sow after the last frost or you can start undercover or indoors in seed raising trays. They love the heat and sun. They can also be grown in pots or bags if you have limited space.

How to Grow Globe Amaranth

Lavender 

Lavender’s fragrance, calming color, and versatility make it a top choice for dried flowers, sachets, and crafts.

Quick growing tip: Needs full sun, excellent drainage, and low humidity to thrive. Prune after flowering.

How to Grow Lavender

Scabiosa

Known for both its blooms and unique seed pods.

Quick grow tip: Prefers full sun and regular moisture. Don't cut until the seed pod fully forms.

How to Grow Scabiosa

Honesty  aka Lunaria, aka Silver Dollar Plant

Translucent, coin-like seed pods are stunning in minimalist or holiday décor.

Quick grow tip: Biennial. Sow spring or autumn. Self-seeds easily.

How to Grow Honesty

Bunny Tails aka Lagurus

Perfect for small or large displays, great in potpourri and can be easily dyed.

Quick grow tip: Sow directly in full sun. Keep in mind that until the fluffy bunny tails appear it will look like your growing grass/weeds so if aesthetics are important keep this in mind when planning.

How to Grow Bunny Tails for Drying

Sunflowers

Smaller branching varieties are best for drying. Great for autumn-themed projects.

Quick grow tip: Sow directly, full sun, space well. Harvest early. In some climates you can get two plantings.

How to Grow Sunflowers for Drying

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Final Tips for Drying Flowers

Once you’ve picked your favorites, drying them is easy. Most flowers should be harvested just before they're fully open and hung upside down in a cool, dry, dark place for 2–3 weeks.

We’ll be diving into how to grow and dry each flower in detail—so keep checking back or join our newsletter to get notified when each guide goes live!

Start Small, Grow Beautiful

You don’t need a huge garden or a lot of experience to grow flowers for drying. With just a few easy plants, you can enjoy natural color and beauty all year round—indoors and out.

Which of these flowers will you grow first?

Let us know in the comments or tag us on social media @yourhandle with your dried flower creations!