7 Easy Steps to Drying Hydrangeas

Have you ever looked at your Hydrangea bushes that were full of big, beautiful blossoms and thought how cool it'd be to dry them for some home decor project? Perhaps you were thinking of a wreath or even a simple floral arrangement, but aren't sure which drying method to use. With so many different ideas on drying Hydrangeas on the web today, it's no wonder.  I'm going to share with you 7 easy steps to drying Hydrangeas that maintain most of their color. No special tools or materials are required. So let's get started!

Step #1 - Read "The Secret to Drying Hydrangeas"

I used to think drying Hydrangeas was hard, a pain in the neck and not worth the time and hassle. Then I learned the (secret). You just have to know WHEN to cut your Hydrangea blooms and I teach you just how to do that in my post "The Secret to Drying Beautiful Hydrangeas from the Garden". Be sure to read that post before cutting your first bloom. If you're planning to cut flowers this year, be sure to read it before August. That's usually when the bigleaf and panicle Hydrangea flowers come into bloom.

Step #2 - You'll need a few items

You will need a few items from around the house when drying your Hydrangeas. Here's the small list:

• a good, sharp pair of garden shears
• a good sized, rather flat basket for carrying the flowers
• tall vase or tall thin non metal container - ceramic or glass preferred

Step #3 - May Sound Counter-intuitive

It may sound counter-intuitive to the drying your Hydrangea flowers, but fill each vase or container used with an inch or two of water. There is a drying method that don't use water. However, but the flowers lose more of their color and the dried petals seem to become more delicate and easily fall off..

Step #4 - Read " The Secret to Drying Beautiful Hydrangeas"

Yes, I know, that was Step #2. It's just that until I finally learned when to cut the blooms; my success rate for drying Hydrangeas was 50/50 at best. Therefore, felt it deserved being mentioned twice.

Step #5 - How to make the cut

Using the details (or secret as I like to refer to it) you learned from my frequently noted blog post, observe your Hydrangea blooms carefully to determine the best time to cut them. Then cut your blooms leaving at least a 10 to 18 inch stem. Cut about an inch above the last (node) remaining on the branch of the plant/bush. Place your flowers carefully in the flat basket that you've brought out with you to the garden. Care should be taken not to stack cut flowers blossoms on top of one another.

Step #6 - Remove all leaves

Remove all the leaves from the stem of your Hydrangea flower by simply breaking them off by hand or you can cutting them off. Once your stems are bare, make a diagonal cut half way between the end of the stem and bottom most node. Then immediately place your vase that has an inch or two of water. Checking to be sure the bottom of the stem is not touching the bottom of the vase, but is completely submerged into the water. To be clear, only the cut portion of the bottom of the stem needs to be in the water by no more than two inches of water. Once you have done this, No more water is to be added throughout this drying process.

Step #7 - Forgeta 'bout it

In case you were wondering, that's the Chicagoland version of "forget about it." Anyway, that's the final step to this process! Find a quiet area of your home that doesn't receive much sunlight. Not a closet, the drying Hydrangeas will need air flow. Not drafty, just some air moving around. Then, forget about them for a couple of weeks or so. Drying times do vary, so patience is required.

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