In 2011, we spoke with James T. Farmer III, a writer and designer who is currently Editor-at-Large for Southern Living, on how he dries hydrangeas. If your yard still has these lovely buds in bloom, you might want to look over this simple instruction.
THE GOAL: Drying these enduring Southern plants successfully for use in arrangements.
THE KEY: Drink water! According to designer James T. Farmer III, “I probably receive more queries about drying hydrangeas than anything else. “As paradoxical as it may sound, drying them in water is the solution. It keeps the color vibrant.” Shortly after they reach their height, the farmer prunes the blossoms off the plant. He takes the leaves off the stems and puts them in a container with water that only covers half of the stem. The water evaporates after a few days, drying the blossoms.
CUTTING ADVICE: According to Farmer, the key to successfully cutting hydrangeas that change color on the bush is to do so as soon as the new hues emerge. For instance, ‘Nikko Blue’ hydrangeas should be pruned after the original classic blue has given way to more of an aqua or jade hue. When you’re ready to begin pruning, purple hydrangeas will typically become a stunning shade of blue on the bush, while pink flowers will turn chartreuse. Lighter varieties like white “Limelight,” “Annabelle,” and peegee start out pristine white before transforming gorgeously into lime green. Oakleaf hydrangeas bloom in white and then turn coral as they age.
Hue ENHANCER: According to Farmer, tinting hydrangeas using Rit dye in Denim Blue or Royal Blue results in a deeper color. Simply a few drops of the color can be added to the water. To intensify the color even further, he also lightly dabs dye onto the actual petals.
THE ARRANGEMENT: Farmer enjoys classic arrangements like a bouquet of dry “Limelight” in a blue-and-white urn, but he also enjoys combining hydrangeas with textural plants and foliage for a more contemporary aesthetic, such asparagus ferns, papyrus, or begonias.
OUR UPDATE: We questioned Farmer for additional advice on how to preserve different kinds of flowers and plants. He said, “Strawflower, status, Queen Anne’s lace, and poppy pods dry well. He prefers to remove the strawflower and pods from the plant, put them in a “permanent” container, and allow them to dry there. The less handling, the better because dried flowers are so fragile.
PRESSING FLOWERS: This summer craft project would be enjoyable to do with your kids to make gifts for teachers or other special occasions. Apparently, Farmer “For pressing, all you’ll need is a large book and some wax paper. Old encyclopedias are quite useful. Open the book to the middle and place a “face up” flower, such as a zinnia, rose, cosmos, or black-eyed Susan, between two pieces of wax paper. Then, close the book. Add a few more books on top so that the bloom is essentially flattened by the weight of the books. After about a week, you should have pressed flowers ready for framing. Grasses also function nicely! It can be a bit more trial and error with larger specimens of vegetation and leaves, but the process is the same. Use UV protective glass or museum glass in the frame if you want to help safeguard your pressed specimens from the sun and light (which will fade them). Hanging pressed flowers and botanical specimens in groups creates magnificent wall art.”
Prepare the Flowers
Although it may seem contradictory to use water to dry flowers, hydrangeas benefit from a gentle desiccation process that keeps their color and shape (even the stems end up sturdier when dried this way).
Using a pair of pruning shears, cut each blossom on the angled side, leaving a stem length of between 12 and 18 inches. Take off every leaf from the stalk.
Place the Cut Flowers in Water
After that, arrange your freshly cut flowers in a vase, fill it about halfway with water, and set it aside in a cool location away from the sun. Keep in mind that hydrangea dry best when given room to “breathe,” so take care not to overcrowd your vase with stems.
Allow the vase’s water to totally dry out. After this procedure, which typically lasts two to three weeks, your hydrangeas should feel dry to the touch and the stems should simply snap off. They are now prepared for use.
Use Your Dried Hydrangeas
Your dried hydrangeas can be displayed in a variety of artistic ways. Although they look lovely on their own in a vase, you can also incorporate them into seasonal wreaths or use them in window boxes with other dried flowers. Getting hitched in the autumn? Even your bridal floral arrangements can incorporate them.
How can you preserve the color of dried hydrangea flowers?
You may appreciate the blossoms’ timeless beauty all year long by drying them. Vase drying and silica drying are the two basic techniques for hydrangea flower drying. Silica drying results in more bright color, whereas vase drying is simpler and less expensive. Use the vase-drying technique, which results in blossoms with vintage colours, to keep things straightforward.
Timing is Everything
The key to success is knowing when to cut hydrangea blossoms for drying. Even though you might be tempted to cut blossoms off the plant as they reach their height of color, it’s crucial to let flowers start drying on the plant. The petals of the flowers will start to feel papery and change colors after they have graced your garden for a few weeks. Depending on the environment and soil pH, oakleaf hydrangeas like TaraTM take on traces of coral or rose, and big-leaf hydrangeas like Dear DoloresTM pick up hints of purple, burgundy, or turquoise. It’s time to grab the pruners when you see colors changing and petals becoming less flexible.
Making the Cut
After the dew on the petals has dried in the morning, trim the stems. Cut stems at an angle with sharp shears or pruners, leaving 12 to 18 inches of stem. Cut the leaves off the cuttings, then put them in a bucket of water. Picky because cuttingdrying brings out flaws in the blooms. Select the nicest flowers to dry and leave the others for the garden to enjoy.
Arrange in Vases of Water
What, we dry flowers with water? Even though it might seem counterproductive, drying hydrangeas in water-filled containers helps keep their color. Put cuttings in vases or other transparent containers and add water until the stem is immersed by a few inches. Don’t pack the vases too tightly. Each bloom needs space to keep an open form and adequate airflow to dry. To give each flower enough room, try staggering the stem lengths.
Allow to Dry
Put containers in different rooms of your house so you may enjoy them while they dry. Keep the flowers away from direct sunshine, though. As the flowers dry, let the water naturally evaporate from the containers. Drying time for blooms can be two weeks or longer. If the water in the vase has evaporated but the flowers have not yet dried, you can add extra water.
When the stem snaps easily and the petals feel stiff, the dried flowers are ready to be used. Simple vases filled with dried hydrangeas, wreaths made of dried hydrangeas, and window boxes decorated with dried hydrangeas all look charming. They are ideal for our flexible Golden Rings tabletop setup as well.
Where are hydrangeas cut to dry?
Hydrangeas dry best when left on the bush after their prime and are trimmed when they start to naturally dry out at the end of the season. According to Marzec, if you remove your stems too soon, they may shrivel up. He advises waiting until late summer or even early October for late-blooming kinds. Pay particular attention to the petals, which will start to fold under as the colors fade, and the leaves, which start to feel papery and less fresh, she advises. According to Chris Link, co-owner of Nebraska-based online nursery Plant Addicts, the color of the bloom is another important consideration. Most hydrangea blooms begin as one hue, such as green or white, and change to another, such as pink or red, according to him. Simply clip the blossom when it is the desired shade of color, but before it becomes brown.
Cut flowers with stems that are between 12 and 18 inches in length for the greatest displays, and make sure to remove any leaves before drying. Link advises against trimming stems too short on some hydrangeas that bloom on old wood because doing so could affect the flowers of the following year. This would only be concerning if you removed the blooms extremely late in the year because the flowers would probably already be brown by then.
When should hydrangeas be picked for drying?
How soon after cutting should hydrangeas be dried? The easiest way to harvest hydrangeas is to let them dry on the plant first. Try out different harvesting techniques from August to October. Hydrangeas can be trimmed at that time of year to dry and be preserved.
You may create dried hydrangea arrangements that are just as stunning as those you can buy. When I initially began drying hydrangeas, I experimented with every tip I had ever heard of. They ended up upside-down in a dry attic, pushed into a hot car trunk, and submerged in water that slowly drained. I always had wilting hydrangea blooms as a result. Hydrangeas that have dried perfectly have a very easy secret. Don’t pick them till they are fully prepared. The timing is far more crucial than the drying technique.
While it may be tempting to harvest hydrangea blossoms at the peak of their color for drying, this is ineffective. Fresh, recently opened blossoms hardly ever dry out successfully outside. The easiest way to harvest hydrangeas is to let them dry on the plant first. Try out different harvesting techniques from August to October.
In the South, hydrangeas often mature to a blushing green hue before acquiring pink and red overtones as fall approaches. They appear to age to blue and purple hues in the colder parts of the earth. I find them both to be equally lovely, despite their stark differences. To enjoy the variety of colors, I periodically like to buy a few bunches of hydrangeas from gardeners who grow them in colder locations on Ebay.
Do you need to remove dried hydrangea blooms?
Your hydrangea shrubs’ blossoms appear to be withering or turning brown. No need to worry—this is merely a signal that it’s time to deadhead—remove the blossoms from the plant.
Deadheading hydrangeas doesn’t cause any damage to the plants at all. Flowering shrubs stop producing seeds when the spent blooms are removed, and instead focus their efforts on developing their roots and leaves. You will be doing your hydrangeas a favor by deadheading because this strengthens and makes plants healthier.
How are hydrangeas prepared for the winter?
Protecting flower buds is the aim of winter hydrangea care. The simplest approach is to pile 12 inches or so of mulch made of chopped-up leaves or bark around the base of the plant. After the ground freezes in the late fall, set the mulch pile there. Plants can then be exposed in the spring, when the temperature starts to stay above freezing.
How are dried hydrangea petals made into confetti?
Using seasonal flowers in large quantities is both economical and eye-catching. The possibilities are numerous, ranging from bouquets and pin-hole flowers to indoor and outdoor arrangements, to strewn petals to decorate the aisles.
- Use your imagination when choosing containers for your flowers. Watering cans, antique jars, teapots, fish bowls, water jugs, and recycled tin cans are all excellent choices. If none are available at home, a visit to a charity shop will provide a wide range of possibilities at affordable costs.
- Decorate trees with flower stalks; acquire some “water savers” from the florist to keep them from wilting. A minimum of 24 hours’ worth of hydration for the stem is provided by each plastic capsule.
- Reuse tin cans by carefully removing the top so that there are no sharp edges. After removing the outside label with soapy water, apply mineral turpentine to get rid of any remaining adhesive. Once dry, paint or add fabric decorations (PVA craft glue is perfect for this). Lastly, make two holes in the can just below the top rim on either side (a large nail works well but place a piece of wood inside the tin before puncturing it so the tin keeps its shape). Simply drill a hole large enough to accommodate a ribbon or string for hanging.
- Glass jars with a festive makeover: partially fill jars with marbles, shells, or vibrant stones. This aids in jar stabilization and offers another decorative component to complement your table design.
Once the official portion of the ceremony is done, a practice called “petal throwing” is eagerly anticipated. The attractiveness of fresh petals is outweighed by their propensity to deteriorate, which is why dried flowers are a popular option for table decorations and throws.
Dried lavender, dried rose petals, dried hydrangea petals, and vivid cornflower petals are frequently used to make biodegradable flower confetti. Pansies or tiny rose buds can also be dried intact.
Use a low-temperature oven, a dehydrator set to a low setting, or arrange in a single layer in an airing cupboard to manufacture your own. Before keeping the petals in an airtight container out of direct sunlight, make sure they are totally dry and crispy.
- Throughout the season, gather themed colored petals from the garden and dry them in groups. Once the petals are dried, the volume will significantly decrease; it is advisable to do this a few months before the occasion so you have time to make additional preparations if necessary.
- Pick colorful petals; white is prone to fading.
- The aroma may wane while the color of the petals remains vivid. To help keep dried petals feeling wonderful, simply mist them with your favorite perfume or a drop of essential oils.
- Present the petals in a big bowl or give each visitor a pouch of them toss. Great choices include paper cones made of newspaper or vibrant paper or pull-tie organza bags.
Step 1: Remove leaves and place in container.
The bloom should be clipped so that it will fit in the container after being cleared of any extra leaves. Place the flower on top of a thin layer of silica sand in the microwave-safe container.
Step 2: Cover flower with silica sand.
Silica sand should completely encircle the blossom. If the flowers are little, you can group them together in one container as long as the sand completely covers them.
Step 3: Microwave in thirty second intervals.
Put the container and a cup of water in the microwave. In the microwave, heat for 30 second intervals. Observe the blossom till it appears dried. This ought to take two to three minutes, depending on the flower’s density.
Step 4: Check flower and then leave in sand for 24 hours.
Rebury the flower and wait for 24 hours after the petals start to look dry. The flower will be fully dried as a result.
Step 5: Remove from sand and display!
Brush off any additional grains that are adhered to the flower’s petals after removing it from the silica sand. To maintain clean, mist with unscented hairspray. Use your dried flowers to make a craft or display them in your home. Keep out of direct sunshine, similar to air drying, to stop the colors from fading.
The length of time required to microwave-dry flowers varies according on the density of the blossoms. Follow the chart as a guide for these common flowers:
- infant breath
- buttercup
- fern
- feverfew
- heather
- pansy
- aster
- azalea
- student button
- calendula
- daisy
- delphinium
- foxglove
- larkspur
- carnations
- chrysanthemum
- gardenia
- hyacinth
- hydrangea
- marigold
- orchid
- peony
- rose
- snapdragon
- stock