How to Preserve the Beauty of Hydrangeas by Drying Them

Collect bright-colored hydrangeas to dry for beautiful winter bouquets.

The bouffant shape and muted pastel colors of dried hydrangeas make them a favorite for decorating and flower arrangements. Growing fresh in the garden, hydrangea flowers range from shocking pink to deep blue, with shades of purple, red and white appearing on some plants. When you dry hydrangeas properly, the colors' brightness softens naturally and the attractive form remains intact, allowing for a wide range of decorating options.

Things You'll Need

• Hand-held pruners
• Scissors
• Twine

Instructions

1. Collect the hydrangea flowers when most of the buds at the center of the flower head have bloomed out. Choose a day that is dry, not rainy or foggy with moisture in the air, when daytime temperatures have cooled, to cut the blossoms.

2. Test each hydrangea flower cluster individually before you cut it. Spread the fingers of both hands around the flower head and slightly squeeze. If you feel resistance, indicating that the flower has already begun to dry out on the stem, it's ready to pick. If you feel moisture and a soft give under your fingers, wait to collect the flower at a later date.

3. Clip hydrangea stem where it joins a main branch of the plant, leaving as much stem as possible attached to each flower head. Use sharp hand-held pruners for a clean cut.

4. Remove all the leaves from the stem. Snip away brown, damaged or bug-eaten small florets from the large flower clusters with a pair of small, sharp scissors. Hold the hydrangeas upside down and shake them to remove any insects or debris from each flower head.

5. Bundle two or three hydrangeas together, wrapping and tying their stems together with a long piece of twine or thick string.

6. Hang the hydrangea bundles upside down, attached to hooks or over a nail, in a dry, cool area completely protected from sunlight to keep the flowers from fading. A dark, unused closet or cupboard is ideal, as is an attic where you can open the windows for increased air circulation.

7. Check the drying hydrangeas in two to three weeks. They are ready to use in arrangements when the stems are totally dry and brittle and the beautiful flower clusters feel crisp to the touch.

Tips & Warnings

• Dried hydrangea colors will naturally fade over time. After one to two years, you may extend their use by spraying the flower heads with gold or silver paint to use in holiday decorations.

References

• University of Missouri Extension; Drying Flowers and Foliage for Arrangements; David Trinklein; June 2010
• "Hydrangeas: A Gardener's Guide"; Toni Lawson-Hall, et al.; 2005