Decorating with Fresh & Dried Flowers

Flowers are inseparable from cottagecore. Whether fresh from the garden or dried and preserved for the winter months, they bring a sense of natural abundance, impermanence and connection to the seasons that no other decorative element quite matches. Here is a comprehensive guide to working with both fresh and dried flowers in your home.

The Best Flowers for a Cottagecore Home

Not all flowers suit the cottagecore aesthetic equally. The style favours blooms that look as though they might have been gathered from a cottage garden or hedgerow — loose, fragrant and slightly wild rather than formal and stiff:

• Roses — ideally old-fashioned varieties with a loose, cupped flower head and a scent
• Lavender — fragrant, dries beautifully and looks wonderful in bundles and wreaths
• Peonies — the quintessential cottagecore flower: generous, blowsy and brief-lived
• Sweet peas — pastel, fragrant and unmistakably English garden
• Foxgloves — architectural and dramatic, look beautiful in a large jug
• Cow parsley (Queen Anne's Lace) — wildflower delicacy with an untamed quality
• Cornflowers, chamomile and poppy seed heads — meadow flowers with an honest, simple beauty
• Eucalyptus and ferns — foliage that works fresh or dried, providing texture and green

Caring for Fresh Flowers

To get the most from fresh-cut flowers, cut stems on a diagonal with clean, sharp scissors and place them immediately into deep water. Remove any leaves that would sit below the waterline, as these decay quickly and foul the water. Change the water every two to three days and re-cut the stems at each change.

Keep arrangements away from direct sun, heating vents and ripening fruit (which emits ethylene gas that speeds up wilting). Flowers last longest in a cool room.

Containers: Vessels for Character

The container you choose for a flower arrangement says as much about it as the flowers themselves. For cottagecore, avoid clear glass cylinder vases, which read as modern florist arrangements. Instead, look for:

• Earthenware jugs and pitchers in cream, white or grey
• Vintage glass bottles in green, amber and clear
• Recycled jam jars, particularly those with a slight tint
• Old-fashioned enamel mugs and pots
• Terracotta pots lined with a jam jar to prevent leaks
• Stone crocks and ceramic mixing bowls for large arrangements

Drying Methods for Long-Lasting Arrangements

Air drying is the most accessible method. Tie stems in small bundles with twine and hang upside down in a warm, dry, well-ventilated space for two to four weeks. Lavender, statice, dried grasses, achillea, strawflowers and gypsophila all dry this way with excellent results.

Silica gel is the best method for preserving three-dimensional blooms — particularly roses, peonies and dahlias — because it preserves the shape and colour of the flower. Bury the bloom in a container of silica gel crystals with the head facing down and leave for two to five days, checking daily. The results are extraordinary and look almost fresh.

Glycerine preserving works particularly well for foliage: eucalyptus, ferns, magnolia and beech leaves all preserve superbly with this method, retaining flexibility rather than becoming brittle.

Arranging Dried Flowers

Dried flower arrangements suit a looser, more gathered approach than fresh flowers. A bundle of dried lavender tied with raffia, placed in a terracotta pot. A jug of dried grasses and seed heads. A wreath of dried roses and lavender for the wall. Allow the natural form and colour of dried material to lead the arrangement — do not force dried flowers into tight, controlled shapes.

Where to Place Arrangements

Consider flowers in every room, not just the living areas. A single stem in a small bottle on a bedside table. Dried lavender in a ceramic pot in the bathroom. A jug of cow parsley and roses on the kitchen windowsill. A wreath on the front door. A cluster of bud vases on the dining table. Flowers scattered through a home in small arrangements feel more naturally lived-in than one large arrangement in a key room.

A bunch of flowers from the garden costs nothing and changes everything. It is the most immediate way to make a house feel tended, loved and alive.