DRIED FLOWERS TO MAKE YOU FEEL ALIVE

During lockdown, fresh flowers were a godsend. There’s nothing quite like gazing at one of the more beautiful forms of life itself to transcend the misery of a global pandemic. If you were on furlough, the maintenance of them might have given you the greatest gift of all: something to do. Firstly, you were tasked with selecting an appropriate vessel. If you were in possession of an Anissa Kermiche vase – and all and sundry would know if you were – this was not a difficult decision. Then, each day was spent changing the water (which was always at room temperature) and trimming the stems slightly at a 45 degree angle. Any leaves that fell below the waterline were removed with haste. Still, this was not enough. All the love and care in the world will never stop fresh flowers from wilting eventually. That’s just life (as your neglected houseplants would say curtly). There is a solution, though: dried flowers.

Dried flowers offer all the wonder of fresh flowers with a permanence – of up to three years – that the latter will never possess. They are also infinitely more economical and easier to maintain. Where fresh flowers inevitably require multiple purchases, you only need one bunch of dried flowers (but are free to own several). Dust is the only issue when it comes to maintenance. Some suggest using the lowest setting on your vacuum cleaner, but we think a hearty blow suffices. While it’s simple enough to dry flowers yourself, some of us are lazy. Here are our favourite places to buy dried flowers.

APPRECIATION PROJECT

APPRECIATION PROJECT TUTTI, £33

In some parts of the UK, ‘dry’ can be used as a synonym for ‘boring’ – not that you would know this if you only had dried flowers from the Appreciation Project for reference. Founded by the former Head of Accessories at Acne Studios and her partner, these are dried flowers that couldn’t be boring if they tried.

GRETA IN FLOWERS

GRETA IN FLOWERS SMALL DRIED BUNCH, £35

Greta in Flowers is a London-based floral design studio founded by Gita Lazdane. When ordering their dried flowers, you can either state what colours you want in your bunch or leave it to fate. They recommend keeping the arrangement away from wind and direct sunlight to preserve it.

GRACE & THORN

GRACE & THORN EVERLASTING LOVE, £155

At Grace & Thorn – which has both a shop in Hackney and a studio in Poplar – idiosyncrasy reigns supreme. Unsurprisingly, their dried flowers are as glorious as their fresh ones (and admittedly more sustainable).

WILD AT HEART

WILD AT HEART DRY NATURAL MIX, £65

If you appreciate simplicity and pampas grass, we recommend Wild at Heart when it comes to buying dried flowers. But simplicity does not come at the cost of vibrancy here: the dried pampas grass is also available in red, pink, turquoise, tangerine and burgundy as well as its natural colour.

FLAVIA STUDIO

FLAVIA STUDIO BESPOKE DRIED BUNCHES, FROM £55

At Flavia Studio, a bespoke bunch of their dried flowers can go all the way up to a size XXXL. But if COVID-19 gave you the crafting bug and you are itching for something to do, we suggest the dried flower centrepiece DIY kit.