Choose fresh, unwilted, undamaged flowers and foliage from your garden, florist shop, or roadside meadow. Collect plant materials on a warm, sunny day after the dew has dried. Dampness encourages mold and slows the drying process. Try to cut flowers just before they are fully opened. Always gather more material than you think you'll need for your arrangements and wreaths since some shrinkage and loss of plant material will occur.
Air drying is the easiest and most popular method of drying flowers.
It is generally the best method to use for small flowers in clusters such as baby's breath, yarrow, and hydrangea as well as dock, goldenrod, grasses, sedges, and cattails. After cutting the flowers, strip the foliage from the stem, then tie a few stems together with a string or rubber band. Hang upside down on a hook, clothesline, or coat hanger for several weeks in a warm, dry place with good air circulation, such as an attic or old barn. Flowers such as hydrangea and yarrow dry best when placed upright in a jar filled with one-half inch water that is then allowed to evaporate. These materials draw the moisture out of plant tissues while still retaining flower color.