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How to Easily Dry Hydrangeas

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Thank goodness for hydrangeas that are beautiful despite belonging to me. Why? Because I’m anything but a gardener and definitely don’t have a green thumb. In fact, I’ve said before that I have a black thumb even though my mom can grow anything. Apparently it’s not hereditary. But fortunately that doesn’t matter because my hydrangeas thrived this year and I even figured out (by accident) how to dry them. So if you love hydrangeas as much I do and want to preserve them to enjoy year round, read on for the simple how to.

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There are a few ways to dry hydrangeas but I’m focusing on the most recent one I’ve used, discovered by accident. Actually, I discovered it by neglect. You’ll see what I’m talking about.

Hydrangeas are so pretty. I never realized they were this easy to dry.

We only have one hydrangea bush but it has really shown off this year. After only having one lonely blossom last year I was so disappointed and just knew I was doing something wrong. Like never watering it. Who’s got time for that? 

Hydrangeas are my favorite. This is such an easy way to dry them.

But this year was amazing. The blooms have gone from blue and yellow to vibrant blue to purple and green. And I’ve been clipping them and bringing them inside to enjoy all summer.

I never realized how simple it is to dry hydrangea blooms. Saving this for future reference!

Here’s how they looked a couple of days ago. They’re fading into a beautiful soft palette of colors. There are a few brown spots beginning to appear but that just gives them character. Kinda like wrinkles.

I’m going to let some of these dry on the bush and see how they turn out. Stay tuned for that.

Love hydrangeas! This is such an easy way to dry them!

Back in late June they were vibrant blue. All of the blooms were this color. This is from the same bush as the previous photo. Isn’t it amazing how much they change throughout the summer?

Love these dried hydrangeas. And they're so easy to dry with this method.

Here are some that I clipped from one of my parents’ bushed a couple of years ago and hung upside down to dry. They ended up with a lot of brown on them which isn’t bad, but I prefer a little more color than brown. 

So here’s what I discovered this year. 

How to Dry Hydrangeas

1. Clip the blooms down to beginning of the branch.

Super simple way to dry hydrangeas. My favorite flower!

You’ll end up with various lengths, but you can trim them down to whatever size you need.

2. Clip off all the leaves

Such an easy way to dry hydrangeas. Doing this for sure the next time I have some.

I used the same clippers that I snipped the branches off the bush with.

3. Add a couple of inches of water to a vase or pitcher

how to dry hydrangeas

Just a minimal amount of water is all you need. I used a clear pitcher so you could see how much water I used.

4. Place the stems in the pitcher to enjoy

These gorgeous hydrangeas dried just as beautiful. I never knew how easy it was to dry them.

These are some branches I clipped in July and they were so pretty that I did an entire photo shoot of our master bedroom around them. You can see it here.

5. Don’t do anything else to them

I never knew it was so easy to dry hydrangeas. Saving this for future reference!

WAIT, WHAT? That’s right. You’re done! Set it and forget it. Plant killers rejoice! This is how the blooms looked several days after I added them to the pitcher. They dried up on their own. They need a medal or something, don’t you think?

Wow. I'm amazed at how easy it is to dry hydrangeas and how pretty they turned out!

The color faded slightly, but there are only a very few brown spots.

Such an easy way to dry hydrangeas.

And the flowers are somewhat fragile but not terribly brittle and dry. They developed a few wrinkles as they dried up, bless their hearts. But wrinkles just add to their beauty, don’t they? Say yes.

That’s my accidental method of drying hydrangeas. Anyone can do this. And just FYI, I bought a hydrangea plant at the grocery store a couple of years ago and it dried beautifully too, probably because I forgot to water it. I guess hydrangeas don’t mind being neglected. I wish my other plants would be so kind.

Here’s a pretty graphic for you to pin so you can remember how to dry your hydrangeas in the future. Please share!

I really am surprised at how easy it is to dry hydrangeas. They look beautiful and can be enjoyed year round!

Have you discovered any plants that dry beautifully? I’d love to know what they are since dried flowers are a regular thing around here. 

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Thanks so much for dropping by. Have a great day! And be sure to sign up for our subscriber list below so you don’t miss any of our useful tips and ideas and accidental dried flower discoveries.

XOXOX,

Angie

6 Comments

    1. Thanks Pamela. It gets pretty hot here but they do well in partially shaded areas thank goodness!

  1. Actually, it is easier than that…..you do not need the water! The secret to drying hydrangeas is to wait until the blooms feel "papery." This happens during their secondary color phase. Just clip them and stand them up in a dry container of any sort, basket, box, vase. They'll be dry in no time and perfect, too.

  2. Clearly you have not read MY post about drying hydrangeas! This is how I do it every year. I love the color of yours!

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