Hydrangeas are well-suited to drying and can last for several years as wonderful decorations for your home.
How to cut your Hydrangea stems
Timing is everything when it comes to cutting stems of Hydrangea for drying. If you cut them too soon, they will still have too much moisture and won’t dry properly.
They could even just shrivel up. Also, leaving it too late will mean the petals may not last as well, and won’t retain their colour.
Check the flowers have a slightly papery feel to them, whilst they still have their colour. This will typically happen towards the end of their flowering period.
Then, cut a length of stem between 30 cm and 45 cm. Remove all leaves from each stem. Finally, they are ready for drying.
How to dry hydrangea flowers in water
One of the most effective ways to dry Hydrangeas to help them last the longest is to place them in a vase of water. Whilst this may seem counterproductive, it means they dry more slowly, and so can retain their colour much better once completely dried.
Take your hydrangea cuttings with leaves removed and arrange them in a vase with a couple of inches of water. Only do a few stems per vase, so each flower has plenty of air around it to help the drying process. Position them somewhere bright but out of direct sunlight.
Over the course of 2 to 3 weeks, the water in the vase will evaporate, and during that time your hydrangea flowers will have dried out wonderfully.
What colour will they end up?
They should end up looking lovely pastel shades of their previous colours after drying. Bright pink hydrangeas become a dusky rose, and vibrant sky blue to a softer, cornflower blue. White ones fade to a lovely antique parchment shade.
How to air-dry hydrangea flowers
Hydrangeas will also air-dry well; they just may not retain quite as much colour. Follow the same process of taking your cuttings and removing them leaves.
Then, find a cool and dry room in your house. Hang your hydrangeas upside down somewhere which has plenty of space around to let the air get around each stem.
Too much humidity in the room will cause the drying process to take too long, and too much sunlight will reduce how much colour is retained. A length of washing line with a clothing peg would work perfectly.
Again, after a period of a couple of weeks, they should be dried out and looking lovely.
Now that they are dried, you can keep them for several years. Their beauty will no longer fade, and they will be a great way to create a flower display that will last a very long time.
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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