Walk into any craft store and one of the first thing you are greeted with is dried flowers and arrangements. Dried flowers are also a popular choice at florists, either as the main attraction or as filler. While some of the more exotic offerings won't grow in Albuquerque, our dry desert climate provides great conditions from some nature-made gifts for our home décor.

If you grow ornamental grasses you have a stately and sophisticated addition for a vase, as long as you didn't come them down in fall. Pampas and feather grasss produce long, attractive seed heads attached to sturdy tall stems. You can sometimes even find native grasses in the surrounding mesa that are attractive in a vase.

The flower garden also provides dry flowers with some persisting into January if the birds didn't find them. Coneflowers and black-eyed Susans are two of my favorites, but look around because poppies and other flowers may also feature attractive winter seed heads.

The thistle, which grows like a weed around here (literally), is a personal favorite. I love living thistles so much that I even used them in my wedding bouquet! The seed heads are also attractive, with the spikes adding texture to an arrangement. Just be careful of the spikes, because these persist even on the dried plants.

If you find the colors of the dried flowers somewhat plain, you can dye them. Special florist dyes work well but I have had good results with regular spray paint. The secret is to spray from 8 inches away and apply several thin, even coats.