The next few weeks hold the peak of our blooming season for perennials and annuals. Drying your garden flowers now will enable you to enjoy their bloom all year round, notes David Robson, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, Springfield Center. There are several ways to dry and preserve flowers.

Hanging is the easiest and best method for preserving many kinds of flowers. The first step is to remove the foliage from the stems. Next, divide the flowers into small bunches. Tie the stems together with string, pipe cleaners or rubber bands. Now, hang bunches upside down in a warm, dark place such as an attic rafter, in a closet from a hanger or in a dry basement from a clothesline. Vary the height of bunches when hanging; this allows better air circulation for the drying process. The air-drying process should take one to two weeks. Flowers such as roses, peonies, tulips and daffodils should be cut when they are in the bud stage or just opening because they will unfold as they dry.

Silica gel can be obtained from a local garden center, hardware store or florist. The silica gel absorbs the moisture from the flower within 36 to 48 hours. Choose a container that can be sealed with a lid and large enough to hold the silica gel and the flower to be dried. Read and follow the label directions.

Clean, dry, white sand may also be used as a drying agent. Homemade mixtures can be made from ingredients found in most kitchens. Use equal portions of powdered pumice and yellow corn meal or equal portions of borax and yellow corn meal. (Other grain cereals such as Cream of Wheat can be substituted for corn meal.)

To each quart of either mixture, add three tablespoons of non-iodized salt. Fill a container with an inch or two of any of these mixtures and make a slight depression on the surface. Remove the stem from the flower head and place the flower in the depression; then press the mixture in and around the outside of the flower to support it. Next, take some of the mixture in your hand, and allow it to trickle in a fine stream around each petal. Start with the outer petals, and move towards the center. Spread the mixture evenly on all petals, and do not change the shape or position of the flower. Cover the entire flower with the mixture. Place the open container in a warm, dry place for approximately two weeks. Since the flowers are buried, be careful when removing them at the end of the drying period.