- Hydrangeas that have been on the bush longer will dry better because they've already had a chance to naturally dry out in the sun. Young blooms retain too much moisture to dry properly. Look for full-blossomed hydrangeas that are on the verge of fading but still don't have too many brown spots. You'll have the best luck if you cut your hydrangeas in late summer or early fall.
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You can dry your hydrangeas easily by air drying or water drying them. To air dry, strip the hydrangeas of any leaves and tie them by their stems with string or elastic. Hang them upside down and check on them periodically. They should dry in about five days. This is a good technique if the stems are too weak to support the flowers in a vase.
To water dry your hydrangeas, trim away leaves and keep about 12 inches of stem. Place the flowers in a vase with fresh water and put them somewhere out of direct sunlight (too much sunlight will dull the colors of the flower). Leave them in the vase until they've dried out fully. - Silica gel is actually a solid that is popular in the floral industry for preserving numerous types of flowers. Silica is a more time-consuming method than air or water drying, but using silica to dry out your flowers will keep the hydrangea's natural colors. To use this method, pour a thin layer of silica on the bottom of a plastic container that is larger than the flower. Place the flower in, flower side down with its stem poking upward. Gently fill the rest of the container with silica, making sure the flower isn't pressed against the bottom of the container. Put the container lid on and leave for four days. Four days later, remove the flower and carefully tap the petals to remove excess silica. You will now have a colorful and pristine dried hydrangea.
