How To Dry Hydrangeas
Learn how to dry hydrangeas with this simple tutorial so you can enjoy beautiful flowers year-round.
Equipment
- Pruning shears
Instructions
- At the end of the season, hydrangeas begin to dry out on their own. At this stage, and before too many petals turn brown or wilt, I cut armfuls of the flowers for drying. They may already feel a bit crisp, which is great.
- Remove the leaves from the stems.
- Place them upright in an empty jar or vase, or hang them upside down with twine. Display them around your home as they dry! To preserve their vibrant colors, avoid leaving them in direct sunlight.
- The stems become brittle and turn brown as the flowers dry. This is a great indicator of the progress. Your hydrangea petals will turn papery crisp, but they are surprisingly resilient.
- Hydrangeas may take a full week (sometimes a couple of weeks) to fully dry, but you can enjoy them throughout your home during this time!
Notes
- Harvest your flowers later in the day, after any dew or moisture has dried.
- You want to cut the hydrangea stems long enough to hang or prop in a jar.
- A full bloom with some brown spots is okay! This is a good sign that the flowers are mature. Young blooms won't have the same fullness and they won't dry quite as well.
- Place them in an area with reasonable air circulation to dry them thoroughly.
- Avoid placing the drying flowers in direct sunlight, as this can fade the colors.
- If hanging your flowers upside down, hang them free of walls or furniture. If they are pressed against a wall or object, they'll dry with a flat spot.
- I prefer the vase method, as the final form of the hydrangeas is the most natural-looking. The hanging flowers, once right-side up, are beautiful, but a bit more unnaturally vertical.
- Many people recommend a spritz of hairspray over the dried flowers to further preserve and protect any brittle petals. I did not do this step and was very happy with my flowers.