Tuesday, September 25, 2012

drying hydrangeas

... now is a good time to get going on it!

{ blooms picked today and set to dry }

there are a couple of ways to dry them -
well, three actually

1. water drying
2. hanging them upside down
3. air drying (the easiest)

{ this is how they should look at picking time: leathery and thick }

guess which way of drying them is my favorite?

{ I picked these about 3 weeks ago }

the easiest way!

{ I love using the dried blooms in a wreath }

how to do it?
pick them, strip the leaves, plop them in a pot - no water added
 they will dry out in a week or so

{ they keep their color for about a year }

FYI:
all of my hydrangeas are of the Nikko Blue variety
(although our soil tends to give them a purplish color)


10 comments:

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I've always wanted a hydrangea bush. I've heard you could tell your soil type from the color of the flowers. Yours are so beautiful. I've never seen them that color in Kansas. Awesome.

Rita said...

These are such a gorgeous color!! I have dried them by hanging them upside-down before when I lived in Wisconsin. They were pale with a blush of pink or blue. These are dramatically stunning! :)

Halle said...

So pretty! I had a hydrangea that I tried to over-winter in the house since it was so small. It got spider mites and had to be tossed. So sad. I have a spot that would be perfect for one in size...just not sure about the exposure. North corner of our house....it might not survive the harsh winters.

Gayle Price said...

Your first photo is absolutely gorgeous ! I love hydrangeas and we have some in our garden, but boy they struggle. Our hot dry summers are definitely no friend to hydrangeas and when we have water restrictions through summer there is just no point really in trying to grow them. Yours look beautiful and with such a lovely mixtures of shades. xx

Zue said...

They must be the easiest flowers to dry..I can't get enough of them.
You are right they last really well. Lovely hat!
xx

Jill said...

These are some of the prettiest hydrangeas I've seen! My mother in law used to let me cut some from her hydrangea trees. (I imagine they were bushes pruned to look like a tree) but they are living in another house now. The dried ones I have are a bit...ahem...dusty now. :)

Dianne said...

Lovely! Thanks for the tutorial!

Anonymous said...

You must have magic fingers because mine never work out......I have a few left, maybe I will try it. Such lush color - like a rich glass of wine. xox

Tracey FK said...

my parents used to have a whole line of hydrangea bushes and our Christmas table was always full to the brim with their blooms... so to me they are all about Christmas... now they have moved from the mountains they don't have any and it just isn't the same... I miss them terribly come the festive season...xx

Becca said...

Your hydrangeas are lovely! Love how you've displayed them!