Dried flowers are definitely having a moment. While they’ve become the social media trend du jour, there’s far more to them than the fleeting photographs you spot on your feed from time to time. What makes dried flowers special is exactly that—there’s so much more to them than meets the eye.

Sure, you’ll spot them at weddings, often used as beautiful décor in a rustic setting. They’re also found on doors, in entryways, and used to occupy empty spaces throughout the home. If you’re interested in adding some dried flowers to your space, you can look forward to endless beauty with none of the maintenance.

What’s the secret to making the most of them? First, it helps to have an understanding of the best drying practice—because you really won’t want to do much with them if they don’t look great. Then, you can focus on exercising your creativity and putting those dried blooms to great use.

Unique Ways to Use Dried Flowers

1. How to Dry Your Flowers
2. Go for the Gold
3. Make a Bath Salt
4. Design a Flower Wall
5. Create a Rustic Backdrop

There are several different ways to dry flowers. The key to all methods is to exercise some patience during the process. Rushing through could leave you with slightly imperfect stems that aren’t quite ready to use, so make sure that you give them time to thoroughly dry out before you move on to your project.

A simple option is to air dry them. You don’t need a green thumb for this technique, which involves detaching most of the foliage from each stem. Gather them all together, then wrap a sturdy piece of string or twine around what you've collected. Check the length at this stage, too. If they seem too long, this is a good time to trim the stems to your liking.

Tie the string attached to the stems to a thick piece of driftwood, a hanger, or a hook. Then, hang the object in a dry space that’s not humid or warm. Opt for a dark space that receives little to no light. Exposure to direct lighting may otherwise cause discoloration, leaving the flowers looking less like themselves when they’re dry. An empty closet is a great option.

Now it’s time to set them and forget them—temporarily, of course. After you’ve hung them up, leave them there for about a month. You can check them at approximately the three-week mark to ensure that they’re drying to your liking. You can spritz them with some unscented hairspray to keep them looking their best at this stage, too.

Once you’ve successfully dried your flower arrangement, have some fun decorating your living space. While there are many classic ways to go about that, you can exercise your creative muscles a bit by using some metallic spray paint to give the petals a fresh, glamorous look.

This is a simple step that even those without artistic inclinations can achieve. In fact, it’s a beautiful way to even revive brittle petals and leaves that may not have much strength after you’ve dried them. Take each individual piece, be it a leaf, an entire flower, or a single petal, and spray it with the metallic color of your choice.

Allow the bundle to air dry before using your new dried flowers to decorate the house. Place a few on your holiday centerpiece for a dazzling accent, or sprinkle a few on top of a bowl of potpourri for an eye-catching finish.

Everyone deserves a little rest and relaxation. What better way to make it a reality than to concoct your own feel-good treat for bath time? Take a few petals from your favorite dried flower—red roses are always a safe bet and a popular choice if you’re planning to give your bath soak as a gift—and break them down into small pieces.

Keep those aside in a small dish. Then fill a bowl with a cup each of Epsom salt and sea salt, and finish with half a cup of baking soda. Add up to 30 drops of the essential oil of your choice to the concoction, then add your dried flowers. Stir carefully and pour the final product into a jar of your choosing.

This blend is easy to create—and it’s fun to mix and match your favorite flowers with different essential oils to create new and inventive fragrances. With roses, for example, mix things up. Experiment with warm notes like vanilla and almond, or try something more crisp and sharp, like sandalwood, sage, or ylang ylang.

Unique wall art comes at a premium. It’s not easy to find pieces that stand out, much fewer items that truly connect with you on a personal level. That’s where dried flowers come in—and they do the job beautifully. To start, consider the meaning behind the flowers. Maybe it was the arrangement your significant other gave you for a special occasion, like a birthday or an anniversary. Maybe it was the bouquet you carried during your best friend’s wedding. Maybe it was a vibrant arrangement like The Lucy that managed to brighten the worst of days.

Whatever the origin, it holds special importance in your life and that alone means everything. Once you’ve selected the flowers you want to dry, it’s time to get creative. Begin by selecting a blank wall where you can hang your flowers, either from a string above or from clear hooks or tacks.

Half the fun is in developing some sort of layout for the dried flowers. Do you prefer something neat and organized, or do you favor more of a hodgepodge, chaotic look that speaks to your sense of style and your interest in design? There are no rules here, and the effect can be downright ethereal when you’ve completed your project.

Dried flowers are popularly used to add warmth, color, and personality to rustic-themed wedding ceremonies. If you love the look, favor the farmhouse trend, or just want to add some natural beauty to your home without the maintenance needs associated with fresh flowers, consider creating a rustic backdrop.

To start, you’ll need a handful of old-world jars or bottles—think early 20th-century milk bottles, for example. Fill them up with the arrangements of your choice (no water needed!). Then, wrap them with twine and suspend them from solid metal hooks. Hang the twine from solid metal hooks on the wall or on a solid wooden plank to further the rustic effect of the design.

No matter what your preferred look, you’ll love the way dried flowers transform your home. They’re easy to maintain, easy on the eyes, and perfect whether you prefer looks that are classic or contemporary. Dried flowers have a way of seamlessly fitting into any space.