Gathering and Drying Herbs and Flowers

It is best to gather your herbs and flowers early in the morning after the dew has dissipated. Avoid picking any plant that is yellowing or already turned brown. Since the plants will shrink when dried, pick a little more than you think you will need. Clip with a scissors, knife or just snap off. Do not pull on plant. You will kill it! Leave the roots intact with the soil.
Check for bugs and remove them, carefully. Do not shake the bunch, you will break flowers and produce wilting leaves. Tie the bunch, around the bottom of the stem, tightly, with raffia, strong string or a rubber band. Remember they will shrink.
Hang the bunches, up-side-down, from the ceiling or on wall pegs. Make sure it is an airy spot, out of sunlight. They should be dry within two weeks, depending on the moisture content and thickness of leaves, stems and the flowers. Also if it is humid outside, this will require longer drying time.
Remember, your flowers and leaves will loose some of it's natural color, however, they are still usable. So, plan color arrangements accordingly.
I have also placed fine, delicate flowers in a paper bag with many holes punched all over it. Try to be careful not to squish the bag, it must be over sized and fit loosely around the bunch. This way of drying in a bag collects fine particles that might normally land on your floor.
Just Flower Buds and Heads
If you are looking to dry flower buds and heads, only; you can use a silica gel, fine sand, or mix 2 parts of cornmeal with 1 part of borax. This works well when trying to maintain the shape and color of the flower. Wear a mask when using silica gel. You do not want to inhale this. The dust is unhealthy for the lungs.
Place about 1 inch of medium in shallow box. Place buds, up-side-down and open flowers, right-side-up. Gently, spoon medium around each flower and lightly over the top of the flower, without distorting the shape. Check every 2 days to see how they are drying. Do not leave in box too long or the flowers will become brittle. After they are dry, you can remove them from the medium and ever-so-gently shake them out. A small, soft paint brush can help remove any stubborn particles. Spray with hair spray or a florist's protective spray before using. If you break off a petal, it can be glued on with a clear drying glue.
Now you can insert a small piece of florist wire, with a small hook on one end, into the flower bud and pull ever-so-gently, until it becomes snug and catches the flower. Now take florist tape and wrap around the wire to make it look like a stem. Add leaves if desired, as you wind along the stem area. Ta-Da! A pretty flower! Set aside until ready to use on maybe one of the projects I will be blogging in the near future.
Dehydration
I dehydrate fruits and herbs. Apple and orange slices are attractive in arrangements. Check your dehydrator book for length of time and heat setting for each herb or fruit. Each one requires a different method. Flowers tend to stick to the tray, so I don't dry them this way. Only food goes into my dehydrator.
Freeze Drying Flowers
I have never tried this. It expensive and you need a special machine. You can purchase freeze-dryed flowers from most any artificial-flower supplier.