Gardening Question of the Week: What’s the Best Way to Dry Hydrangea Flowers?
Thursday July 31, 2008
Anne emailed me about drying hydrangeas. “What’s the best way to dry hydrangea flowers so the color will keep. I hope it’s not too late already. Thanks.”
No, it’s not too late. Hydrangeas don’t usually hold all of their color as they dry and the color saturation will vary with varieties. I’ve had the best luck with the water drying method. This sounds contradictory, but it actually makes a lot of sense. Here are several ways to dry hydrangea blossoms, from drying in water, to simply leaving them on the shrub.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2008) licensed to About.com, Inc.
Comments
Good advice, maybe now I can part with some of my blooms in the garden. It’s hard to cut them off, though.
Be brave. If you cut them now, you’ll have them all winter.
I have 3 large hydrangeas. I have kept them watered, but they stay wilted. They look like they are struggling to stay alive. I think the gardener may have gotten weed killer on them several months. Are they a lost cause or should I cut them back or prune them? Thanks for your help. Mary
I have been drying hydrangeas for years and got my tip from martha stewart. If you wait until sept 1 or later they won’t wilt. the best way is to boil water and also put cold water not iced in the container your putting them in about an inch high. As soon as they are picked dip in hot , place in cold and when the water is gone the flowers will be dry and firm.
Mary, if you think it’s herbicide damage, there’s not much to do at this point but to keep them watered and be patient. If it was sprayed on, they need time to get it out of their systems. This could take a couple of seasons, before they’re looking lush again. Pruning will just stressed them more.
I’m not sure about giving them some type of fertilizer. It’s late in the season to be encouraging new growth, but spraying the leaves with compost tea might give them a boost.
If the herbicide was used in the soil, you could try incorporating some activated charcoal (1 to 2 lbs. per 100 sq. ft., to a depth of about 6″), to absorb whatever residual is left.
Wanda, have you tried this method any earlier than Sept. 1st? Some of my hydrangeas bloom very early and don’t look to pristine come September. I’ll give it a try next summer.