How to Dry Hydrangeas to Use in Floral Centerpieces and Arrangements
As the vibrant summer color fades from your hydrangeas, prepare them for a second life in a dried bouquet.
Aaron Dyer
Hydrangeas—beloved by home gardeners for their beauty, versatility, and low-maintenance growing conditions—are also a popular bloom for dried arrangements that admirers can display for years.
Once dried, hydrangea blooms work well mixed with other dried flowers, secured to wreaths, or presented as single, eye-catching statement pieces—and the process is simple, even for beginners. "All you have to do is be in tune with your flowers, and watch, and experiment," says Millie Marzec, co-owner of Washington state flower supplier Hydrangea Rangers.
Related: Five Mistakes You're Making with Your Hydrangeas
Aaron Dyer
How to Choose Hydrangea Blooms to Cut and Dry
Though varieties with tighter "mop head-style" blooms—like Endless Summer—dry the best, according to Marzec, cone-shaped panicle hydrangeas will also work. Regardless of the variety, wait until near the end of the season and cut blooms that are beginning to dry naturally on the bush.
"If you cut them too soon, they shrivel up," says Marzec. Pay close attention to the leaves, which start to feel papery and less fresh, and to the petals, which will begin to fold under as the colors fade, she says. Marzec recommends waiting until late summer—or even early fall, for late-blooming varieties—to cut.
Controlling the Color of your Dried Hydrangea
Preserved hydrangeas are cut at the peak of their bloom and processed with chemicals to maintain their color. But during the natural drying process, hydrangeas fade to antique tones of subtle green, pink, tan, aqua, and lavender.
If your hydrangea changes color throughout its growing season, then cut it for drying when it's in the color range you want for your finished bouquet. "Most hydrangea flowers start off a certain color, like green or white, and turn into a different color, like pink or red," says Chris Link, co-owner of Nebraska-based online nursery Plant Addicts. "Cut the flower when it's the shade of color you want, but before the flower turns brown."
How to Dry Hydrangeas
Results will vary based on the method you use to dry your hydrangea flowers.
Hanging Hydrangeas to Dry
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Hydrangeas can be air dried in a vase or on a clothesline. Marzec prefers to hang her blooms using this upside-down method, which, in her experience, allows for the fastest drying time and a minimum of flattened petals for her customers.
Cut the hydrangea with clean, sharp shears, leaving a stem of 12 to 18 inches.
Use a clothespin to attach the stem to a clothesline, allowing the bloom to hang upside down.
Hang the flowers in a dry, dim space. Humidity and cool weather increase the drying time, while too much direct light can cause the colors to wash out.
Drying Hydrangeas in a Vase
For smaller quantities, Link uses a slightly different process. "It is not necessary to hang hydrangeas upside down to dry unless the stems are very thin and weak," he says.
If your hydrangeas have sturdy stems, try this method:
Cut the hydrangeas off the bush with clean, sharp shears, leaving stems of about 12 to 18 inches in length.
Remove the leaves from the stems.
Arrange the flowers in a vase, with or without water.
After the water evaporates, the hydrangeas will dry naturally (the timeframe depends on the size and moisture content).
Drying Hydrangeas With Silica
For a brighter, mid-summer shade on dried blooms, silica—found at many craft and hobby stores—dries flowers with less fading. "The silica can get expensive, but this is the best way to preserve the vibrant colors of the flowers," says Link.
Choose a container wide enough and deep enough for your hydrangea bloom to fit without touching the sides or bottom; the flower's shape can be damaged if it rests against the container.
Carefully pour silica around the flower and in between each individual petal to suspend the flower in the crystals.
Allow the hydrangea to dry for about four days—it should maintain its original shade.
