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How to Make a Dried Peony Wreath

by 24 Comments

This simple tutorial for a dried peony wreath is a great way to preserve all your beautiful peony blooms in the spring.

Dried peony wreath from garden flowers.

We went on vacation in May, and the peonies were already starting to bloom. When we got home they were just about done blooming.

Normally I will cut them, and use them in bouquets in the home or bring them to a friend, but this year I decided to cut as many as I could, to create a lovely dried peony wreath.

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Fresh cut peonies in a bucket.

Make a Dried Peony Wreath

Some of the blooms were getting old. Ideally, you would want to cut them in bud, or when they are still tight. They seem to dry better that way. Like the peonies, I dried for the Shadow Box Peony project. Still, I thought, what did I have to lose?

Washing peony flower.

First I removed as many of the ants that I could, by swishing the flower heads in a large bowl of cold water.

Washed peonies on table.

Then I let them dry out a little.

Fresh peonies hanging to dry.

Then I grouped them together, using rubber bands to secure the bunches, and were hung to dry in the basement. 

Dried peony flowers.

After about two weeks the peonies were nice and dry.

This time-frame may vary depending on the humidity in the house. Some of the peonies were too close to each other and did not look as good as the others.

If you can, keep them a little more separate when drying. Here is where my impatience gets in the way.

Creating the dried peony flower wreath.

To make the wreath, use a grapevine base.

I made a grapevine wreath from vines in the garden.

Start with the larger flowers first.

Using a glue gun, attach them to the wreath. It helps to use something to lift and support the wreath as you work, like the candle here.

Adding more flowers to wreath.

Continue adding smaller flowers, and fill in with some of the leaves.

If you don't have enough peonies, you could also add in some different dried flowers such as hydrangea or roses. A smaller wreath base would help too.

Dried peony wreath on white door.

To help protect the wreath, give it a spray of polyurethane, matte or semi-gloss. It will still be very fragile, so you may want to find a spot indoors to hang this dried peony wreath. Some peony even use hairspray.

I think it has a very shabby chic romantic look, and I am happy to extend the life of all those pretty peonies.

This project didn't cost me a dime and it was fun to make.

You could also make a wreath like this with flowers from a special occasion, such as a wedding, or a pretty bouquet you received from someone special.

Not all flowers will dry as well as others, but if your only other option is to throw them out, why not give it a try.

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Dried Peony wreath with text overlay

About Patti Estep

Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

 

Blue hydrangea with subscribe text

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marie

    I've never dried my peonies but after seeing your post, I'm definitely going to do that with next year's crop. Thank you for the inspiration!

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Marie,

      You should definitely try it. It's so easy and you really can't go wrong with the natural beauty of peonies.

      Thanks for stopping by,
      Patti

      Reply

  2. Nikki Gwin

    I absolutely love this! I keep all my dried flowers that my husband gives me.
    🙂 gwingal

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Nikki,

      This is the perfect project for you! A nice way to show off all that love.

      Thanks for stopping by,
      Patti

      Reply

  3. Barbara Chapman ~ French Ethereal

    Hello Patti,

    I LOVE how your peony wreath turned out!!! I bought a tiny bunch of peonies in late winter and two dried by themselves! The others rotted ~ too humid in our "home." But, I'm so happy just to have these two! I'll have to try again now that it is warmer. I pinned your photos like crazy, thank you!

    Thank you for a lovely tutorial,
    Barb 🙂

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Barbara,

      I'm so glad you like it so much and that you have experienced first hand how the peonies can dry on their own. When you try again place them somewhere dry with a lot of airflow. They will be perfect in just a few weeks.

      Thanks for stopping by,
      Patti

      Reply

  4. [email protected]

    This is so beautiful. I love peonies, I've never considered they would dry. Inspiring!

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Lidy,

      They sure do. I picked this group a little late because we were away but I do think they work a little better if you pick them when they are in mid-bloom.

      Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!
      Patti

      Reply

  5. FLORENCE @ VintageSouthernPicks

    Such a pretty wreath Patti! I didn't know peonies were good candidates for drying. I'll have to try that next Spring.

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Florence,

      I think it's fun to see how well different flowers dry, just by hanging them in the basement or making a wreath with them. Since they are going to die back anyway, what do you have to lose.

      Thanks for the lovely comment and stopping by today,
      Patti

      Reply

  6. Sharon Rexroad

    I won a dried peony wreath at a charity auction years ago and babied it for several seasons. Now I know how to recreate it! Thank you SO much for this tutorial.

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Sharon,

      This is great news. I love that you have something that you love and can now make one for yourself.

      Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
      Patti

      Reply

  7. Janet

    Wow.. That is such a gorgeous wreath Patti. I never thought of drying peonies but this is such a great idea for extending the life of my beloved peonies. So simple yet spectacular.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Janet rosemary-thyme.blogspot.com

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Janet,

      Thank you. They are a favorite of mine too.

      Thanks for stopping by,
      Patti

      Reply

  8. Lisa

    What a lovely way to preserve all the lovely peony blooms!

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Lisa,
      Thank you. I love them and I'm always so sad to see them go, so this year I decided to save some. Might just be a yearly event.

      Thanks for stopping by,
      Patti

      Reply

  9. Maria Brittis

    I love working with dried flowers and you create a masterpiece. I am pinning.
    Maria

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Maria,

      I know you love the beauty of nature as much as I do.

      Thanks for the kind comment and have a great week!

      Patti

      Reply

  10. Debrashoppeno5

    This is so beautiful. I wish I could grow peonies but it is to hot where I live.

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Debra,

      I'm so glad you like my wreath, and that's shame that you cannot grow them where you live. You'll just need someone to buy you a bouquet so that you can dry them for your own wreath. Roses and many other flowers work well too.

      Thanks for stopping by,
      Patti

      Reply

  11. Patti

    Love yore wreath! So beautiful.

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Patti,

      Thank you for your kind comment. It's easy to make something pretty with the materials are so lovely themselves.

      Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!
      Patti

      Reply

  12. Carole

    Of course you know I love this kind of thing and this turned out so nice, all those shades blended together makes a beautiful presentation. We dried peonies back in my floral shop days because buying them already dried was expensive. We even tested the silica gel process for drying, worked better with roses. Have you done that? Love the wreath and I think next week I'm going to attempt one of your wreath projects.. Think Herbs!!

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Hi Carole,

      I'm so glad you like the wreath. I just couldn't let all the pretty blooms go to waste.
      Looking forward to seeing what you create. I'm sure it will be amazing.

      Have a great week!
      Patti

      Reply

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