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August 20, 2012

Drying Hydrangeas

For a few years now I've been experimenting with drying hydrangeas.  I haven't found it to be too hard but I thought I'd share some of the things I've learned.
 Endless Summer Hydrangeas 
from 2011
Annabelle Hydrangeas 
from 2012
In both of these pictures that I'm showing, you can see flowers on the shrubs that are both new and older.  
The color of the flower starts to shift as they age and 
that's when you can start cutting them for drying.

Endless Summer Hydrangea
They do loose a bit of color...
2011
These are examples of how the flower changes it's
looks and a prime time to cut them
2010
I let these go a little further to get a more dramatic 
color change.  Initially these were put in a vase of 
water- once they stop drinking- dump the water and 
let them finish drying.

Annabelle Hydrangeas Aug.8, 2012

The Annabelle Hydrangeas are a bit different in how their heads form, so I decided to try hanging them to dry.  I wanted their heads to still look full and was afraid if I left them in a vase to dry they would collapse.  I also noticed they don't make a good cut flower- they don't seem to drink up the water so I waited for them to shift before I cut them.

They dried nicely and kept a good green color.

August 17, 2012
I chose a planter to put them in so the stems would be hidden.  I put styrofoam in the bottom to poke the stems into and stuffed some moss around the stems to finish the look.  I hope to dry some of the white flowers from the Limelights and add them in for a little more contrast 
but that will be weeks away.

Thanks for visiting!

Liz


3 comments:

  1. They still look great. I was going to do some this year myself but with the drought, everything is not blooming as much as with the heat, what has is burning.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your hydrangeas, Liz! These are some great tips. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. this was my first yr with hydrangeas. I bought them at a whim at Costco. I LOVE them!!! I was looking at them today and wishing I could somehow keep them...they are so beautiful! I will try your suggestion s tomorrow. thank you.
    I am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.
    and thanks!!!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments! I don’t always get a chance to reply but I do read them!




ABOUT ME



Welcome to Home and Gardening With Liz. I have combined my previous blogs “Infuse With Liz” and “Sit With Me In My Garden” into this new blog. I love interior decorating and gardening. I enjoy redefining interior spaces by moving things around and reusing decorative items already found in the home. I also enjoy creating tablescapes and an occasional crafting project. I'm so pleased you've stopped by. I invite you to follow me and I do hope you will keep coming back! Liz
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