How to Easily Dry Hydrangeas

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.

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? 

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

2. Clip off all the leaves

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

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 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

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?

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

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!

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