There are so many stunning Australian native flowers that surround us. From bottlebrushes to kangaroo paw and everything in between. Our beautiful country is overflowing with native plants and flowers.
Native Australian flowers are known for their rich, earthy colours and unique stems. We are so fortunate to have an array of native flowers at our doorstep. We love incorporating Dried Australian native flowers into our dried flower arrangements and dried flower bouquets as they not only look stunning but represent a little part of Australia in people's homes.
Our favourite Australian natives are banksias, they are so stunning and look great in our arrangements or even in a flower vase on their own.
We have compiled a list of our favourite Australian native flowers that you can dry at home!
7 Australian Native Flowers you can dry:
1. Banksia
2. Eucalyptus
3. Bottlebrush
4. Kangaroo Paw
5. Cycad
6. Wattle
7. Everlasting Daisies
1. Banksia (Banksias)
Banksias are such unique and stunning flowers. They come in various types and colours with each variety looking completely different to the previous. There are around 170 species of banksias. They also grow in shrubs or trees that can be up to 30 metres tall.
South Western Australia is home to the largest diversity of banksias. They also thrive along the Eastern Coast of Australia from the top of Queensland down to Tasmania.
One of our most popular arrangements is a Banksia dried flower arrangement. This gorgeous everlasting arrangement almost looks fresh as the native flowers dry so well. We personally love the Banksia Hookeriana as it looks the same both fresh and dried.
2. Eucalyptus (Gum or Eucalypts)
Eucalyptus (part of the Myrtle family) is the quintessential Australian native tree. They are often known as gum or eucalypts and are easily adaptable if growing yourself. Eucalyptus is known for growing rapidly, with many of its species soaring to great heights.
There are over 660 different species of Eucalyptus with most being native to Australia. Over three quarters of our forests are Eucalypt forests.
Dried Eucalyptus is just as stunning whether it is fresh or dried. We love drying eucalyptus in our Melbourne based studio as it is very easy to do, looks great and also leaves behind a beautiful scent.
3. Bottlebrush (Callistemon)
Callistemon are commonly known as bottlebrush due to their brush like flowers and cylindrical shape. They are a low-maintenance plant that thrives in the more temperate regions, especially along Australia's east cost. The distinctive vivid red flowers bloom in spring and summer.
4. Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos)
An iconic Australian native plant, the kangaroo paw. It is known for adding texture and sculptural interest to an Australian native garden. The woolly, tubular flowers come in an array of vibrant colours - red, green, orange, yellow, pink and white.
5. Cycad (Macrozamia)
With dark green palm-like leaves which grow up to one to two metres, these slow-growing plants are quite unique but get commonly mistaken for palms or ferns. They are seed plants with a long history and were previously known as being more diverse than they are today.
6. Wattle (Acacia)
A fast-growing tree, wattle produces fragrant yellow flower balls from a young age. There are over 960 wattle species flower throughout winter, the national golden wattle, flowers at the beginning of September, signalling the start of spring. Acacia Pycnantha is native to Victoria and South Australia and is known for its large yellow balls of flowers, and curved, thin green leaves.
The Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is officially the national flower of Australia as mentioned in our guide to Australian native flowers.
7. Everlasting daisies (Xerochrysum Bracteatum or Strawflower)
Also known as paper daisies or strawflowers, these flowers bloom in late spring to early autumn. A very low-maintenance native flower, the colours range from white and pink to deep red, yellow-orange, blue and mauve.
We often include everlasting daisies in our dried floral arrangements as our family in Warrandyte grows these gorgeous daisies on their property.
Drying your own flowers at home is quite simple and a bit of an achievement when you can create a dried flower bouquet using your own blooms that have spent a couple of weeks drying out in your home.
If you have read your blog on how to dry flowers, then you'll know exactly what to do once you've selected your favourite Australian Natives.
How to Dry Native Flowers
To dry Native Flowers you need to separate a bunch of flowers into grouped flower types and cut off part of the stem that has been submerged in water. Then, tie the stems together with string and hang them upside down to dry in a dark room for 2-3 weeks.
Tie string or twine around the ends of the flower stems, leaving the string quite long for when you hang them upside down (you can bunch the same flowers together and variants in other bunches).
Use the ends of the string and hang the flowers/foliage bunches upside down in a dark cupboard, if there are no hooks or rails, you can use a coat hanger. Ensure when you are tying each bunch that you leave 3-5 inches between each bunch. Continue this process for each of your blooms, be careful to not let the flowers touch each other as it could effect the air-drying process.
Materials
- A bunch or few stems of your favourite native flowers
- Scissors (floral scissors)
- String or Twine
Flower Drying Process
If you're using flowers that are part of a ready-made bouquet, pull out each flower and seperate them. If these flowers have been in water, ensure you cut the bottom of the stems off that have been submerged in water. Strip the leaves off the bottom of the flower stems so they are niche and clean.
Tie string or twine around the ends of the flower stems, leaving the string quite long for when you hang them upside down (you can bunch the same flowers together and variants in other bunches).
Use the ends of the string and hang the flowers/foliage bunches upside down in a dark cupboard, if there are no hooks or rails, you can use a coat hanger. Ensure when you are tying each bunch that you leave 3-5 inches between each bunch. Continue this process for each of your blooms, be careful to not let the flowers touch each other as it could effect the air-drying process.
Once the flowers are hung upside down in a dark, dry area of your home, leave them to dry for 2-3 weeks. Thicker flowers are known for taking longer to dry, whilst flowers that are quite thin can be dried in as short as a week. The waiting period is the hard part but don't take them out too soon as they may not be completely dried out yet. We promise it's worth the wait!
Arranging Flowers
You can bunch your flowers together and hang them upside down in your bathroom for a unique look, place them in a vase, place single stems in little vases, there are so many ways to style your dried flowers. Any way you choose to style or use these flowers will be great as you get to enjoy them for years.
After Care
Caring for dried flowers is super easy as they are very low maintenance. Simply keep them out of direct sunlight and humidity. Don't have them in the wind and don't water them, ever (they don't need it like fresh flowers and indoor plants do).
If they gather dust, simply use a hairdryer on cool and low from a distance, or use a light feather duster.
We'd love to see some photos of your own Dried Australian native flowers! Otherwise, be sure to check out our range of dried native flowers, available to ship throughout Australia.