Mountain Mint Drying in the loft
Want an insiders guide to harvesting herbs and flowers in Middle Tennessee and Nashville? I’ve been drying a variety of herbs and flowers for over 20 years and have learned a few tricks.
There are lots of ways to dry flowers, but I prefer to do it the easy way by stripping the leaves off the stem and hanging them upside down to dry in a cool airy place.
Here, we have harvested mint and hung it to dry in the loft area of our log home. This is mountain mint and may be found along the road in shady areas.
Since I use mint for the base of my wreaths and arrangements, I do not strip the leaves off of these plants. Pictured here is a mountain mint. Once the little flowers have formed on the plant, it’s ready to dry.
Harvesting Herbs and Flowers in Middle Tennessee and Nashville
Dried mountain mint base with celosia, gomphrena, yarrow and rudbekia
Here in the Middle Tennessee, and this is true most everywhere, harvest the flowers and herbs around 10:00 a.m. on a dry day. This allows the dew to evaporate from the plant.
If you must do it when it’s rainy, place them in a vase of water for a day and let the petals get dry.
After you cut the flowers, strip the leaves off the stem and make a bundle of about 5 to 7 stems (It’s best to vary the height of the blooms for airflow). Bundle the stems with a rubber band and hang in an airy place away from sunlight. Closets and spare bedrooms make excellent drying areas.
For some variety in your arrangements, be sure and cut flowers during different times of their development. For instance, I harvest both buds and blooms of roses and peonies.
Feel free to experiment with different types of herbs and flowers….that’s part of the fun! Once you get the hang of drying flowers and herbs in Nashville, Tn , you will be able to make nice wreaths and arrangements like the one pictured above.
Some of my favorite flowers and herbs to grow and dry are: celosia, mountain mint, yarrow, oregano and sage.
If you have any questions or would like help designing a garden for use in arrangements, please let us know.
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