How To Dry Hydrangeas The Easy Way
Now is the time to think about drying hydrangeas! We have lots of hydrangeas around our home! So, over the years, I have perfected the drying method! It’s easy to preserve hydrangeas for a year of beauty!
Hydrangeas are a gardener’s delight. They provide a huge punch of color and panache all summer long!
But don’t give up on them at the end of the summer! That’s when they take on another look and almost another life! I think these blooms have the most beautiful look!
Graceful and lush, hydrangeas are bursting with big blooms of color and fluff! If dried correctly they also offer year-round enjoyment!
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT DRYING HYDRANGEAS
It’s all about the timing!
These flower heads can be harvested from August to October depending on your location and the variety of the plant.
WHEN NOT TO PICK BOOMS FOR DRYING
Let’s start with what not to do first, just so you know!
Do not pick flowers for drying that have freshly bloomed, or after a rain or in the morning when dew is still on them. There is too much moisture in them and they will begin to wilt and die before they dry.
Really, that’s the only hard and fast rule about drying these moppy-headed flowers!
THREE EASY WAYS TO DRY BLOOMS
DRYING HYDRANGEAS ON THE BUSH
These gorgeous big flowers dry on a bush dry naturally. The being to turn a different more intense color and their blooms become papery. They can be left on a bush to naturally dry, but if left too long they will eventually turn brown.
BRINGING BLOOM INDOORS TO DRY OUT
This method combines letting your blooms dry naturally to a point and then bringing them in to finish drying inside.
Here’s how you can know when to bring hydrangeas indoors to dry…
- they will begin to have sepia edges and take on a vintage look
- blooms take on a color you love
- the florets will feel papery because their blooms are losing moisture
- they begin to take on a saturated color or change in color
- cup your hand and touch the flowers to see if they feel a little stiff
When the blooms have dried enough on their bush cut them and strip all the leave off the stems.
Pick the blooms when they turn a color you love and feel somewhat papery.
Fill a vase with two inches of water and add the flowers. Make sure all the stems of the hydrangeas are submerged. Keep an eye on the blooms and water.
The blooms will continue to dry. If the water starts to get stagnant, you will smell it, so replace it to the same water line. The goal is to let the water evaporate naturally.
Keep flower heads away from sunlight so they don’t bleach out. When the heads are dry and crisp they are ready! They can be used to decorate and do not need any water!
Drying hydrangeas using this method will keep the color more vibrant and the heads less fragile than air drying.
DRYING THEM INDOORS WITHOUT WATER
You can bring in the blooms and let them dry without putting them in water as long as they have almost completely dried on a bush but not to the point they turn brown.
My drying method of choice is to put them in a little water and let the water evaporate.
Hydrangeas are such a beautiful flower and they can be preserved and enjoyed for a year or so!
You might also like…
- HOW TO PLANT HYDRANGEAS IN POT, PLANTERS, AND URNS
- SELF WATERING PLANT FEEDER DIY
- HOW TO KEEP HYDRANGEAS FROM WILTING
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CUT HYDRANGEAS
Yvonne, thank you for the reminder and tips for drying hydrangea! I have been about that business
This morning. Love your helpful blog and lovely home.
Darlene Adams
Georgia
Thanks, Darlene! I was out just now bringing some of my hydrangeas in too!
Love to have the dried flowers to enjoy after the season . We also spray a lightweight hair spray on them to make them last longer. Glad I found your site, you make decorating look so easy.
Wonderful tip Judy! Thanks
I’ve asked before but I failed to see your answer. Where did you get the curtains that have the blue thin stripes on them?
Hi Cookie I did answer your question about the curtains, but I am so happy to answer you again. The stripe in the curtains is actually tan but you can get it in blue. You can see them here:https://rstyle.me/+vuXUKUzppeDK_A7JSFVamg
Awesome method for drying hydrangeas. I’ve done it before with mixed results-now I know how to do it the correct way-thanks.
Yvonne, thank you for sharing this awesome tip. Wish I’d known when I began drying a few blue blooms. I hung them in our hot garage and they just shrunk down as they dried. LOL
Love your blog. Always have.
By the way, do you offer assistance in choosing between two or three colors when one finds themselves in that kind of painting/decorating dilemma… do you hire out? I wouldn’t trust just anyone 😉
Have a blessed day.
Twyla, it is all about the undertones! Pay attention to the undertones in the the paint colors you choose.
Yes. I agree with that. And I do. I collect paint chips like most women collect shoes! Color is everything. And then light 😉
LOL! You are my kind of gal!
Gorgeous! Can you share the types/names of the hydrangeas you grow in your garden please?
When we dry using the 2″ water method, what do we do when the water had evaporated?
Hi Ethel, when the water is evaporated the hydrangeas will continue to dry naturally.
Hi Yvonne. I have a question for you that relates to your indoor front entry. I recently; noticed a photo of a white table and lamp in your entry. I have been wanting for years to arrange a table and lamp, as you have. I think the narrow table in the entry would look great. However, I don’t have an outlet against my wall. I don’t see an outlet in your photo. Do you have an outlet in your entryway that I am not able to see or is this photo “staged?” Thank you for your time in responding. I enjoy your ideas, recipes, and Christian perspective. Thank you for inspiring others.
Laura
Hi Laura, We do have an outlet on the wall. But here’s something amazing! You can now get lightbulbs that don’t need an outlet! Genius! Google them and see if they would be a great solution for your foyer.
Great advice about hydrangeas. It’s so nice that there are now so many varieties available. I still love the old blue Mophead but the newer ones are amazing. I’ve never tried drying the lace caps. Do they do as well?
I’m not sure because I’ve never dried them either. Does not hurt to give them a try!
I want to tell you how I dried some hydrangeas in a way I never intended. I live in Florida and went to N.C. to visit a friend. When I was ready to come home she had the most beautiful ones growing by her driveway. My luggage was in the backseat, so before I got in the car, she got her cutters and I cut a LOT and just put them in the trunk of the car. It was an 8 hour drive home and I got a late start so I was tired when I got home.. I unpacked the backseat and forgot the flowers in the trunk. A few days later I remembered they were there and had the best ones I had ever “dried on purpose”. Now that’s the way I do it.
Yay! They were really ready to be dried. Such a new and novel way! Happy Fall!
I’m curious if you can do this with store bought cut hydrangeas. I tried this method and they just drooped over.
I don’t think it matters what store the hydrangeas were purchased in. If they get too wilted sometimes they cannot be revived. I just used this trick to freshen up hydrangeas yesterday. I tried putting them in water with plant food in it just to see what would happen and they looked great. Try to submerge the hydrangeas before they are too far gone.
Thank you for this helpful and inspiring article!
Hi Denise, You are so welcome!